Row over land: KU counters Christ Church claim

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JULY 5. The dispute over the ownership of the piece of land adjacent to the University Stadium at Palayam has intensified with the Kerala University today joining issue with the Christ Church.

A press note issued by the university termed the statement issued by the church on the issue as baseless and misleading. It said the church had been constructed with Government funds for British officers in the Travancore Army. It said the land barracks compound housing the church had been granted to the Travancore University through an order issued on November 20, 1944. It added that the land had been categorised as government puramboke in official records.

The university claimed that the 64.66 acres of land including the barracks had been notified as government property in the settlement proclamation issued by the Travancore Maharajah in 1061 (Malayalam year). It observed that the Christ Church was not included in the list of properties handed over to Protestant churches through official declarations in 1016 and 1036. According to revenue records, only the LMS compound and the Malankara Syrian church opposite the University Library were handed over, the university added.

The press note alleged that the Christ Church was trying to confuse the issue and mislead the authorities. It said the university had never tried to disrupt worship at the church though it had legal ownership of the property. The university alleged that the church was trying to encroach into the land outside its compound walls. It accused the church authorities of illegally demolishing the retaining wall adjacent to the stadium.

The press note said the Christ Church had time and again raised ownership claims to the property. It said the University Stadium and the land housing the church were registered in the same survey number (2638).

The university said the plot was being used for two-wheeler parking and setting up ticket booths for spectators attending events at the stadium. It appealed to the church to desist from raising false claims and forcibly occupying land which rightfully belongs to the university.

The other day, the Christ Church had stated that it is in possession of documents to prove its ownership over the land which was granted by the Maharajah of Travancore in 1848. It accuses the university of misrepresenting facts relating to the property.

The row over ownership of the land hotted up last week after the university lodged a complaint with the local police accusing the church of encroachment. The Museum Police have registered a case in this connection.

The metal board erected by the university, warning against attempts at encroachment on the land in question, disappeared overnight. According to the university, the governing body of the church had reportedly taken a decision to forcibly enter the premises.

University employees have come out in protest against the moves of the church. The Thiruvananthapuram Citizen's Protection Forum has also decided to mobilise public opinion against the moves of the CSI Church to wrest control of the 33 cents of land belonging to the university.

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