A land dispute has intensified over earth removal on five acres owned by the Salvation Army near its hospital in Varikoli, Puthencruz, with the organisation denying reports that the property is being transferred or sold. A case seeking to stop the earth removal is pending before the Kolenchery court, and no final decision has been issued.
Salvation Army authorities said the earth removal was considered for two linked purposes: reducing the risk posed by a steep earth embankment beside the hospital and creating space for hospital expansion and a proposed convention centre. The organisation said the proposal was examined in 2023 after concerns about the possibility of a landslide.
The dispute has also generated claims that the Salvation Army’s property is being targeted by a land mafia. The organisation’s leadership rejected reports that the Varikoli land was being sold, saying its properties in India are controlled through a unified administrative system. According to the leadership, local office-bearers and officials do not have the authority to sell or transfer the land independently.
The organisation further said that internal controls prevent individuals from transferring the property on their own. Salvation Army leadership alleged that the campaign surrounding the land could be linked to an internal dispute involving a former pastor who had been responsible for the Varikoli church. These allegations have not been independently established in the supplied report.
Territory Commander Kanakaraj said the international headquarters had removed the former pastor over alleged activities against the organisation and that he had been prohibited from wearing the Salvation Army uniform from July 22. The leadership also alleged that the continuing dispute over occupation of the Varikoli church building was connected to the wider conflict. A complaint has been filed with Puthencruz police, and legal proceedings related to vacating the building are continuing.
The case over earth removal places the proposed development against a separate question of slope safety. The organisation has said the work was intended both to reduce a perceived danger near the hospital and to prepare land for future facilities. However, the court proceedings mean that the status of the earth-removal proposal remains unresolved.
Salvation Army leadership also alleged that large corporate interests and groups involved in major land transactions in the state were behind the growing interest in the property. The report does not provide independent evidence supporting that allegation. The immediate legal issue remains the petition before the Kolenchery court seeking to halt the earth removal, while the police complaint and proceedings concerning the church building continue.
