The Hindu : Kerala News : Major resort demolished; land taken back

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala

Major resort demolished; land taken back

Staff Reporter

Special Task Force continues its operations

MUNNAR: The Special Task Force appointed by the Kerala Government to clean up the hill resort of encroachments, continued their operations for the third consecutive day on Tuesday demolishing over 20 structures constructed on a 27-acre plot inside the Pallivasal Unreserved area by a major construction group.

The Revenue authorities had issued orders resuming the land on Monday itself. The attempt by the construction company to bag a temporary injunction from the district court at Thodupuzha also came to nought as the court found it not necessary to intervene at this point.

The day started early for the demolition team which had gathered at the Pothamedu area, near Brookside Residency, the hill station resort. Four earthmovers and nearly 200 strong labourers participated in the operation led by Special Officer K. Suresh Kumar; District Collector Raju Narayana Swamy; and IG of police Rishi Raj Singh.

First on the agenda of the team was breaking the illegally constructed check dam by the company denying water to over 150 families downstream.

This was followed by a conference facility and cottages that were pulled down. The operations continued late in the evening.

According to Devikolam tahsildar, the company had developed four quarries inside the plot and granite from these quarries were used for the construction of the cottages and paving the one-and-a-half km, 8-meter-wide road in addition to the construction of 22 cottages and other facilities.

The land was originally auctioned under Travancore Cardamon Rules of 1939.

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