THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An official report that reached the Forest headquarters this week speaks about "systematic encroachment" of Government land in Mannarkkad taluk in Palakkad district, with the connivance of registration officials and politicians.

An extent of more than 200 hectares of land enjoying `vested forest' status has already been taken over by the encroachers in this area. The Forest officials who are trying to check the encroachments are receiving scant support from the Government. On the contrary, they are facing the ire of the local unit of the Communist Party of India (CPI), the party holding the portfolios of Forests and Revenue in the Government.

Large tracts of verdant forests, falling under different survey numbers in Agali, Kottathara, Kallamala and Sholayur villages of Mannarkkad taluk, were taken over by the Government years ago through the Kerala Private Forests (Vesting and Assignment) Act of 1971. In a report to the Conservator of Forests on May 11, Mannarkkad Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) K.V. Uthaman says these forests have become the target of powerful encroachers. Their modus operandi is to first get these tracts registered in their names through fraudulent means and then fence off the boundaries.

In December last, he had drawn the attention of the District Registrar to the operation of the land-grabbers, stating that the Forest Department's efforts to evict them from Government land would encounter problems in the court if the encroachers were freely allowed to get documents registered.

In his letter, he had told the District Registrar that to prevent alienation of Government land, the Registration Department should crosscheck with the Forest Department before allowing documents to be registered under certain specific survey numbers.

The Attappady `mandalam' unit of the Communist Party of India (CPI) held an agitation before the Mannarkkad Forest Division Office on May 11 in protest against the DFO's request to the District Registrar. According to Mr. Uthaman's report to the Conservator of Forests, the grievance of the local politicians is that "the Forest Department is causing unnecessary hardship to ordinary people who want to get their documents registered."

The report says: "It will be a big tragedy if we do not learn our lesson from Munnar and act at the right time [in the case of the encroachments in Mannarkkad taluk]."

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