Kerala - Kollam   

1,934 encroachments in Ashtamudi Lake

Staff Reporter

Eviction drive on in the Kollam East and West areas

ACTION: An encroachment in Ashtamudi Lake being cleared on Wednesday.

KOLLAM: There are 1,934 encroachments in Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam, according to a special report submitted by the Revenue and Survey Departments to the State Government.

The report, submitted in the wake of the State Government's drive against encroachments, says that all these encroachments have to be cleared to save the lake.

The report says all the encroachments have been clearly identified and the total area encroached upon comes to roughly 40 hectares. The encroachments are spread over nine revenue villages around the lake. The encroachments are for extending personal property, business purpose, including backwater tourism, and for running spiritual institutions.

Area-wise details

The highest number of encroachments is at Mulavana village. Here, 520 encroachments have been detected. In the Thrikadavur area, 465 encroachments have been detected. There are 420 encroachments at Thrikaruva, 64 at Kollam East, 35 at Kollam West, 91 at Shakthikulangara, 125 at Panayam, 89 at Munroe Thuruthu, and 125 at Perinadu.

In fact, the district administration held the survey to identify encroachments between June and September last year as part of its measures to save the lake.

Following the detection of the encroachments, the village offices had served notices on the encroachers. The report says that the encroachers continue to hold the encroached property.

By Tuesday evening, 14 encroachments in the Kollam East and Kollam West areas of the lake were cleared. On Wednesday, the operations continued in the Uliyakovil area in Kollam East.

The report also points out the unauthorised erection of Chinese fishing nets in the lake. Though only 182 Chinese nets have got permission to operate in the lake, more than 1,300 such nets are operating in the lake.

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