Munnar eviction drive begins by demolishing huge cross; prohibitory orders imposed

The police imposed prohibitory orders in the area fearing protests.
The local people tried to block the Revenue team by parking vehicles on road.
After the action on land grabbers, the Revenue Department will focus of illegal resorts in leased land in Munnar

Munnar eviction drive begins by removing huge cross

The Revenue officials have resumed eviction of massive encroachments in Munnar hill station and its surrounding areas by demolishing a huge cross erected on a hillock in Pappathichola, an ecologically sensitive spot in Devikulam Taluk. The cross was installed in the name of a believer’s group to justify the land grab.

A heavy deployment of police personnel has been stationed in the area, fearing protests. Prohibitive orders are also in force in the area. Even though the local people tried to block the road to Pappathichola by parking vehicles on the road, the police removed the obstruction using excavators.

A private individual illegally occupied 200 acres of land in Pappathichola and erected a big cross in the middle of the plot. The cross was demolished using a excavator. The revenue officials also demolished four sheds put up in the plot and set the debris on fire.

When a team headed by Devikulam Sub Collector Sreeram Venkitaraman tried to attach an illegally occupied plot on 12 April, a group of CPM workers had stopped them and allegedly manhandled them. The incident sparked off a political controversy in the state and frayed the nerves in the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF).

There were reports that political leaders, including the local leadership of the CPM, were involved in the land grab and in forging land title deeds. There were attempts to fan religious sentiments to protect the encroachments. The land grabbers widely use religious symbols to cover up their illegal activity.

The Revenue Department is now planning to evict big encroachments, strictly following legal procedures. After evicting encroachments into public and forest land, the special Revenue team will crack down on resorts built violating leasing norms. As per an estimation of the Revenue Department, hundreds of resorts have mushroomed in Munnar and surrounding areas in violation of land assignment rules and leasing terms.

Last Updated Mar 31, 2018, 6:58 PM IST

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Munnar eviction drive begins by demolishing huge cross; prohibitory orders imposed

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