Kerala - Alappuzha   

Violence at Pathirapally as DYFI activists try to reclaim land

Staff Reporter

Unidentified persons manhandle security guards

BURNING ISSUE: The scene at Palm Fibre coir factory where DYFI activists tried to forcibly reclaim Government land reportedly in the illegal possession of the company, on Tuesday.

ALAPPUZHA: Violence broke out at Palm Fibre India Private Limited, a manufacturer and exporter of doormats, floor coverings and other coir products at Pathirapally near here on Tuesday as DYFI activists tried to forcibly reclaim Government land that was in the illegal possession of the company.

Palm Fibre's possession of around 0.785 acres of Government land in different patches around and on the firm's premises had been the bone of contention for the DYFI and other political parties here from last week, with the DYFI staging a dharna in front of the company on Monday.

The

Ambalapuzha Tahsildar had also sealed .38 acres of the land on Monday.

However, on Tuesday, the situation worsened when members of the Mannanchery panchayat, cutting across party lines, staged a dharna in front of the company in the morning demanding that the building and the coir factory's portions on the sealed land be demolished immediately.

A group of unidentified persons then tried to barge into the company premises by breaking open the gate and manhandling the security guards.

This provoked the company's employees who retaliated. As tension was mounting, Alappuzha MLA K.C. Venugopal and District Congress Committee president A.A. Shukoor joined the dharna, following which the employees started throwing stones. Both the Congress leaders sustained minor injuries while two women and five other employees from the factory too were injured.

Even as police forces rushed to the spot with the Cherthala Deputy Superintendent of Police K.M. Tomy and Alappuzha Dy.SP K. Krishnankutty also reaching the area, a large mob of youngsters, shouting slogans in favour of the DYFI, surrounded the factory and started pelting stones. Then they demolished the compound wall using iron rods and tried to enter the company.

A few who succeeded in entering the factory pulled out half-finished coir products and set them on fire.

Tension prevailed in the area as the DYFI activists demanded that the employees who had pelted stones at them be handed over to them. The police had to use its own vehicles to help the 600-odd employees, including women, to leave the premises.

The DYFI activists, meanwhile stood put, saying that they would leave the place only after the entire building was demolished.

For demolition

Revenue officials, meanwhile, took measures of the illegally occupied land and demarcated them for demolition once the situation was brought under control.

According to Ambalapuzha Deputy Tahsildar P.H. Abdul Gafoor, Palm Fibre had around 0.20 acres of `puramboke' adjoining the National Highway in its possession apart from a similar extent of land adjoining the Alappuzha-Cherthala canal on the backside of the firm. Another .38 acres of Government land which was located in the middle of the premises was also under legal contention.

According to Palm Fibre's managing director Mathew Joseph, the 0.38 acres had been in the company's `possession' for more than a decade and the company itself had written over 70 times to the Government, requesting authorities either to take over the land or sell it to the company. The matter was in court.

Hartal call

With tension prevailing in the area late into the night, police forces were stationed on the spot.

Meanwhile, political parties have jointly called for a hartal on Wednesday in the Mararikulam Assembly segment where the company is located.

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Violence at Pathirapally as DYFI activists try to reclaim land

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