By Sunilkumar, Community Wellbeing, Anokha Venugopal, Knowledge Hub
A massive victory has occurred in Nedumkayam Oorukuttam, located in Karulai, Malappuram District, Nilambur, Kerala. After seventeen years of organizing the Paniya community, Nedumkayam Village received the first Community Forest Resources Rights title, in addition to their Community Rights under the Forest Rights Act (2006).
On October 17th, the CFR title distribution event involved Keystone Foundation’s Sunilkumar (who is also a community forest rights promoter) and Faseela V., in addition to Ajitha, a member of the Mahila Samakhya Society, Anish, a member of Thoduve Community Foundation, Dhi Madhavan, a representative of Jan Shikshan Sansthan, Kudumbshree Animators, and local community members.
The transfer of the title was conducted by Ward Member EK Abdurrahiman, who handed it over to Oorukuttam Samiti President Rajagopala. This work could not have been completed without the Thoduve Community Foundation for its Engalachemmam project.
Below, Sunilkumar has written in Malayalam about his experience working on the Forest Rights Act process for his community of Nedumkayam from the very beginning. In addition, he has shared a timeline of events that eventually led to this victory.
Timeline of Events:
Timeline translation by Kavyanjali, People and Nature Collectives
Paniya Tribal Forest Rights Ooru Koottam – Nedunkayam
2008
Activities began.
On July 15, a meeting was held to recognize the Nedunkayam ooru koottam as a Forest Rights ooru koottam / gram sabha.
2009
On 29/10/2009 (October 29), the first FRC (Forest Rights Committee) election was held.
A 10-member committee was elected.
The meeting evaluated that, even after the colony survey was completed, no one possessed even one acre of land.
Therefore, it was decided to request the government through ITDP (Integrated Tribal Development Project) to allocate one acre of land per family.
The areas suggested for this purpose were Kothakulam, Shankarancode, and Ninre Kari Pulikkalakayi.
2010
2011
Distribution of land possession documents (kaivasha rekha) to the ooru households.
2012
The land received was very limited — only two to three cents where families are currently residing.
2013
Year of understanding legal possibilities.
2014
Visit to Malakkappara along with residents from different oorus, with the support of Keystone Foundation.
2015
28/2/2015 – Reorganization of the FRC.
SRT Muth and Malakkappara visit.
On 28/11/2015, an evidence collection ooru koottam was held.
On 29/12/2015, Form A was distributed.
2016 – On 22.01.2016, 107 IFR, CFR, and CR applications were submitted to the SDLC.
2017 – Ooru koottam gathering held at Iruttukuthi; developmental ooru koottams were organized.
2018 – Ooru koottam gathering held at Nedunkayam; developmental ooru koottams were conducted.
On 30.10.2018, the 107 IFR applications were rejected due to lack of evidence. The applications were collected back from the grama panchayat.
2019 – Flood occurred on August 8 & 9.
On 05.10.2019, a felicitation was held for those who provided flood relief support.
On 12.12.2019, an FRC strengthening training program was conducted at Karulai Grama Panchayat Hall.
2020–2021 – FRCs lost faith in the legal process, and ooru koottam activities came to a halt.
2022 – On 06.03.2022, an FRC evaluation meeting was held in the ooru.
On 17.03.2022, the FRC was restructured at the ooru level.
On 03.10.2022, FRC restructuring and panchayat-level approval took place.
Panchayat approval was received. Malakkappara visit followed.
2023:
05.01.2023 – Post-flood development activities.
23.03.2023 – Houses were built on the land received under IFR. It was decided to submit an application to obtain agricultural land under the same rights.
From April 5 to June 5, 2023 – CFR training held at Keela Attappady.
25.11.2023 – Meeting held at Engala Chemmam Thoduve / Keystone for orientation and mapping training.
2024:
01.02.2024 – Submission ooru koottam for handing over the CFR map and related documents to the SDLC, concerning lands that were in possession before December 13, 2005.
28.09.2024 – Joint survey notice received from TEO.
01.10.2024 – IFR boundary demarcation conducted.
03.10.2024 – Joint inspection of IFR land carried out.
In the SDLC meeting, the Forest Department stated that there was no evidence. The information was then passed on to the ooru koottam committee by the TEO.
The committee members met the Sub-Collector in person and filed a complaint. They demanded that the Chairperson should personally visit the IFR land.
2025:
On 1/3/2025, the Sub-Collector visited the land and found evidence.
It was decided to allot the land in the next SDLC meeting.
On 23/4/2025, the Revenue Department conducted a land survey and found that the current applicants had passed away.
On 27/7/2025, the SDLC instructed that fresh applications be submitted in the names of their children through the ooru koottam (village assembly).
Accordingly, it was decided to re-submit the 107 rejected applications to the SDLC.
On 17/10/2025, the village received its CR and Community Forest Rights title.
