THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran and Forest Minister Benoy Viswom will visit encroached Government lands in Devikulam and Udumbanchola taluks on Tuesday.

Mr. Rajendran told The Hindu over phone that the objective was to directly inspect the land in question and initiate action to recover encroached land.

Conference held

The Minister, who held a conference of Revenue officials, including the Idukki Collector, at Munnar on Monday to discuss the issue said the encroachments in recent months were not widespread as reported.

However, the Government was not discounting media reports. The points made by Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy were also being considered

A 40-member special team of Revenue officials led by Additional Land Revenue Commissioner V.M. Gopala Menon had been pressed into service to inquire into the encroachments on a case-by-case basis.

All officials in the team were from outside Thiruvananthapuram district. Besides, task forces headed by the Sub-Collectors were functioning towards initiating action on encroachments identified so far.

Mr. Rajendran said that many of the encroachments were old.

Firm action

He said the Government policy was to remove all encroachments from Government land irrespective of the location or those behind the encroachments. Party or religious affiliations would not come in the way of eviction.

He said many of the encroachments were made because of reduction of Revenue staff during the UDF rule. So, the Government proposed to strengthen the official machinery.

Better coordination

Better coordination between the Forest and Revenue Department and help from the police was called for to prevent encroachments in future. Besides, the panchayats should ensure prevention of encroachments.

He said the District Collector had been asked to register civil and criminal cases against those who had secured false title deeds and officials who had assisted them. The titles should be cancelled forthwith and the land vested with the Government. Forestlands should be reverted to the Forest Department.

The Government had initiated action in cases being filed by the encroachers against official action. Some cases were pending even before the Supreme Court. The Government would ensure that those cases are conducted properly.

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