Their joy knows no bounds as years-long wait for title deeds comes to an end  

Over 2,400 title deeds disbursed in Ernakulam district; those who received land titles included people from tribes community in Kothamangalam taluk

Caught in red tape and confusion over laws governing land allocation, there are hundreds of families that still await one of the most joyous days of their lives, the day when the land on which they have built their dream homes become theirs legally through government entitlement.

That day dawned on thousands of people in the district on Thursday with the disbursal of title deeds for land they have claimed as their own for years. For C.L. Xavier from Vypeen, Thursday marked the end of a 21-year-old wait.

Born visually impaired, Mr. Xavier, a bachelor, submitted his application in 2001 for five cents that his brother Johnson claimed originally belonged to him but was lost through ignorance of revenue procedures.

His was the first land deed to be given away at a function organised in Kalamassery municipal town hall on Thursday.

Mr. Xavier makes a living binding books and churning out office files at the Helen Keller Institute in Palakkad.

Mr. Johnson, speaking for his elder brother, said they are very happy now after receiving the title deed. “It is the culmination of many years of hard work and patience,” he told The Hindu.

Eliamma, wife of Anthony of Kannampuzha House in Karukutty, has been given the title to four cents. “I initially thought we would get eight cents because that had belonged to us. But some land has been taken up for a public road, she said displaying the title. But the fresh smelling papers have not come easily. The battle for the land began late in the 1970s, she said.