The Hindu : Front Page : Eviction drive to cover five more villages

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Wednesday, Aug 22, 2007
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Eviction drive to cover five more villages

Staff Reporter

High-level meeting of revenue and survey officials held in Munnar

Meeting decides to constitute two
task forces
Entrusted with the charge of five villages each

Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran chaired the meeting.

KOTTAYAM: A high-level meeting of revenue and survey officials at Munnar has decided to double the area of the anti-encroachment drive here.

Instead of the five villages so far brought under the scanner, five more will be surveyed for resumption of encroached land. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Minister for Revenue K.P. Rajendran and attended by V.M. Gopala Menon, the new chief of the Special Task Force who joined duty on Tuesday, and S. Rajendran, Survey Director, among others.

The meeting also decided to constitute two separate task forces, under the Sub-Collectors of Devikulam and Idukki respectively, to oversee the operations with each of the task force entrusted with the charge of five villages each.

So far, the anti-encroachment drive was confined to the villages of Kanan Devan Hills (KDH), Chinnakanal, Pallivasal, Anaviratti and Vattavada. The new villages which have been brought under the purview of the STF are Santhanpara, Marayur, Kanthalloor, Rajakumari and Bison Valley.

The survey in these villages will commence on Wednesday. According to Mr. Rajendran, the focus will be on holding proper survey so that the resumption process will move ahead without any legal hiccups.

Speaking to mediapersons, the Revenue Minister said he had received a complaint regarding the possession of land by Minister for Public Works T.U. Kuruvilla (in Rajakumari village). The complaint was received on Saturday and the same had been forwarded to the officials for further steps. Their report was expected within two days, Mr. Rajendran said.

He said he personally enquired with Mr. Kuruvilla about the issue and the PWD Minister maintained that the controversial land was acquired after completing all formalities.

Replying to another query, the Minister said the Government would submit the reply to the queries of the High Court on the land holdings of the CPI and the CPI(M) in Munnar. He had not seen the full text of the High Court document, he said.

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