Kerala - Kochi   

Notices served on 247 encroachments in city

Staff Reporter

Team to detect encroachments on backwaters

KOCHI: A survey of the M.G. Road conducted by the district administration to detect and subsequently retrieve revenue land under encroachment was completed on Saturday.

District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish said the survey team, including eight surveyors, would now be sent to detect encroachments on the backwaters of the district. The Collector had asked for floating dredgers in the drive against backwater encroachments.

Notices were served on 247 encroachers for taking over more than 1.44 acres on the entire stretch of the M.G. Road from Madhava Pharmacy to Thevara. Of this, 221 encroachments were either forcibly evicted or voluntarily removed, retrieving over 1.33 acres.

Around 11.260 cents were yet to be recovered, for which time would be given for voluntary action failing which they would be forcibly evicted, a revenue official said. However, no date was fixed for the resumption of the demolition drive. The two-day drive was suspended after clearing the area up to the Convent road following the Government decision to give the encroachers three days' time.

Revenue officials re-examined the area occupied by two major hotels on the M.G. Road as the owners claimed to have `pattayams' for the land.

However, the inspections revealed that both the hotels had encroached upon the revenue land beyond the area covered under the `pattayams', sources said.

The extent of encroachment was yet to be fixed after which notices would be served on Monday.

So far about 5.17 acres had been recovered from the district in the anti-encroachment drive.

Meanwhile, the Collector had been given discretionary powers to either grant time for clearing encroachments or to resort to forceful eviction.

In an initial survey conducted along the backwaters, seven cases of encroachments were prima facie found, especially in the backwaters at Thevara.

However, a detailed examination by the surveyors had to be done based on which mandatory notices would be served under the Kerala Land Conservancy Act, an official involved with the initial survey on the backwaters said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Notices served on 247 encroachments in city
War of words in cine world
Salinity may affect water supply
93 cadets complete sea training
Strike by clearing clerks withdrawn
Police begin crackdown on illegal massage centres
Stern action against negligent bus drivers
Call to make Kochi a friendly city
Around The City
In Kochi Today

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu