A detailed list and a report submitted by Idukki District Collector Sheeba George before the High Court have stated that there are presently 330 land encroachment cases in the Munnar region in Idukki.
According to officials, the list was submitted before the court based on a case filed by One Earth One Life, an NGO. The report stated that as per the available reports from village offices and taluk offices, as many as 330 cases have been found, and proceedings for encroachment removal have been initiated.
The list includes encroachments at Kannan Devan Hills, Pallivasal, Chinnakkanal, Keezhanthoor, Kanjikkuzhi, Marayur, Bison Valley, Chathurangappara, Anaviratty, Santhanpara, Mannamkandam, Mankulam, Kanjikkuzhi, and Poopara villages in Idukki. The list stated that the encroachments included illegal land occupation, illegal cultivation, illegal water theme park construction without no-objection certificate (NOC), illegal mining, illegal construction of buildings and compound walls, illegal commercial building constructions, illegal construction of homestays in non-title deed lands, riverside encroachment, and illegal construction of resorts.
The encroached government lands include revenue land, Kerala State Electricity Board’s (KSEB) dam catchment area, river poramboke land, panchayat and forest land, revenue cutchery settlements and poramboke road.
The report and the list include land encroachment involving the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] local committee office building at Mannamkandam in Mannamkandam village. The report stated that a stop memo had been issued on the illegal poramboke road encroachment. A cooperative bank, a church and a temple are also included on the list.
In the report, the Collector stated that some of the land had already been recovered from the encroachers, and various courts had considered some cases.
The report also stated that “it is submitted that regarding the major encroachments, proceedings have been initiated, and in cases where encroachments are of a small nature (less than 10 cents), Kerala Land Conservancy (KLC) Act proceedings have been initiated but no panel proceedings have been initiated. The detailed list regarding the encroachments in which a criminal case has to be registered is under preparation and once it is prepared, the same will be forwarded to the District Police Chief for registering cases under the Act.”
