The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Go for time-bound eviction, says CPI

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Monday, Jun 25, 2007
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Go for time-bound eviction, says CPI

Special Correspondent

Veliyam alleges bid to tarnish image of party

Veliyam Bhargavan says his party has taken a firm position against encroachments.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Communist Party of India (CPI) has demanded time-bound completion of the eviction process in Munnar focussed on big wigs among the encroachers and publishing of the list of defaulters.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday after the party’s State Council meeting, CPI State secretary Veliyam Bhargavan said his party had taken a firm position against encroachments in Idukki district from the beginning. It had brought up the issue at Left Democratic Front (LDF) meetings, leading to the Revenue Department’s action and appointment of a Special Task Force (STF). The media had by now exposed encroachments by big players. But not a single CPI worker was involved. “There appears to be a devious attempt on the part of some vested interests to depict the CPI as an encroacher on Government land as soon as the eviction process began. These vested interests used a section of the media to create an impression that the CPI office in Munnar was located on encroached land,” Mr. Bhargavan said.

The party wanted the State Government to spare Adivasis and poorer sections who owned five and 10 cents of land.

Bought in 1959

Distributing the copy of relevant documents attesting the CPI’s ownership of the controversial land, Mr. Bhargavan said the party had purchased seven cents of land in Munnar way back in 1959 in the name of the then party secretary M.N. Govindan Nair. It came into possession of another four cents of land adjacent to this property as per the title deed. In 1998, the party applied for pattayam (title deed). The all-party Land Assignment Committee cleared its plea. “The party had full rights over the 11 cents of land as per the existing laws. It does not want even an inch of land beyond this,” the CPI State secretary said.

Describing the charges against the CPI as “utter nonsense,” Mr. Bhargavan said the people would not believe the current campaign to depict his party, which had always adopted upright positions, as an encroacher. He said the CPI was not satisfied with the mere transfer of the erring Government employees responsible for the bogus pattayams and wanted stronger action against them.

In reply to a question, the CPI leader maintained that the party nominees in the Cabinet had stoutly defended its interest and there was no basis for such an allegation. It had only demanded a senior IAS official as the head of the STF. The rest was the Chief Minister’s decision, he said. The party State council has decided to continue its campaign to expose encroachers.

The CPI State secretary said the State council had finalised the schedule of the various party conferences from the branch level in preparation for the all-India conference.

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