Kerala - Pathanamthitta   

Fever grips estate encroachers

PATHANAMTHITTA: Torrential rain and chill in the hilly tracts have been plaguing the encroachers of Kumbazha estate of Harrison Malayalam Limited at Chengara near Konni.

There are reports of fever spreading among the illegal occupants, owing allegiance to the Sadhu Jana Vimochana Samyukta Vedi (SJVSV). They have been camping in about 250 tents pitched in the rubber estate.

“We have taken Paracetamol tablets supplied by the Vedi. There is no question of leaving the place without getting the five-acre land promised to us by the Government a year ago,” said Thankamma, an agitator.

About 1,100 encroachers are camping at the private property in the hope that the Government would soon concede to their main demand of allotting five acres of land to each landless family.

The locality has been in the grip of viral fever with symptoms akin to chikungunya for five months. The continuous rainfall has made it difficult for them to prepare food. SJVSV sources say that stocking foodgrains too is difficult in such an adverse weather condition. They have also been facing problems in purchasing grocery and vegetables from the market as the local people and plantation workers have already demanded eviction of the illegal occupants at the earliest.

A meeting of various trade union leaders at Kumbazha estate held on Wednesday evening has resolved to counter the illegal occupation of rubber plantation by encroaching upon the property of Vedi leaders, especially its president, Laha Gopalan who reportedly owns 1.5 acres of land.

Meanwhile, the Vedi leaders have refused the offer for conciliatory talks from district Collector Ashok Kumar Singh on Thursday. They have demanded immediate intervention of Chief Minister V.S. Achuthandan in the issue.

The activists encroached upon the plantation in the early hours of Sunday, demanding five acres of land and Rs. 50,000 for each landless family. Most of them are from Scheduled Caste colonies at Athumbamkulam, Thekkuthode, Thannithode, Thonyamala, Chittar, Seethathode, Ranni and Vechoochira.

SJVSV had encroached upon the State-owned Chandanappally Estate for about a week, with the same demands, in July 2006. Many Vedi leaders, who were in the forefront of that agitation, have reportedly parted ways with the organisation.

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

Stories in this Section

Fever grips estate encroachers
Christian leaders’ meet to begin on Monday
YMCA observes ‘Nagasaki Day’

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