Fencing a vacant plot of land, or even securing it with a compound wall, might keep encroachers at bay. But these measures can hardly prevent land-grabbers, who operate from behind the scenes, from usurping the property or creating litigation to demand a ransom by adopting various strategies.
The menace of land-grabbing, with political backing, is severe in prime and developing areas across Tamil Nadu where the business of land mafia has grown, along with the booming real estate industry, over the years. The problem is acute in regions in and around urban areas, which are witnessing infrastructure development and the consequent increase in real estate prices.
For many, protecting a piece of property has, of late, become more challenging than buying it. The well-oiled network of the land-grabbers, who operate allegedly in collusion with some officials of the Registration, Revenue, Survey and Police Departments, has made life horrendous for a large number of victims, especially members of the middle class, who are battling a prolonged civil dispute in legal forums.
