The Revenue department’s special task force reclaimed 18.10 acres of government land in Chinnakkanal village, near Munnar, on Friday.
According to Revenue department officials, a team led by Idukki Subcollector Arun S. Nair and Udumbanchola land records tahsildar Seema Joseph retrieved 16.45 acres of land at Sikukandam encroached by 12 persons, another 33 cents encroached by brothers at Suryanelly, and another 1 acre 32 cents encroached by government official Sharlat Johnson and sister Nadiya at Chinnakkanal.
A special team fixed a government-owned land board at the evicted land at Sinkukandam. It also sealed a resort in the evicted 33 cents of land at Suryanelly and took it under government possession.
District Collector Sheeba George said the special team finished the encroachment eviction after completing the legal process. “The eviction process on encroachment land will be continued,” said Ms George.
A senior official said the special task force evicted 14 encroachments and recovered nearly 260 acres of government land within two months after the eviction drive.
Earlier, the special task force had identified 226 active encroachments on government land in eight villages of Munnar.
Meanwhile, farmers at Sinkukandam, near Chinnakanal, continued their relay hunger protest under the banner of the Chinnakkanal land protection movement. The movement started the hunger protest on November 13 after the Revenue department special task force issued an eviction notice for 12 farmers in Sinkukandam. The farmers from Sinkukandam protested on Friday morning after the special task force arrived to complete the eviction process.
The farmers alleged that the special task force members took a double stand on eviction. “The task force members reached before 5 a.m. to evict poor farmers in Sinkukandam with all arrangements, including Fire and Rescue Services vehicles. But the task force members completed the eviction process of the encroachment by Tissan Thachankary, brother of former police officer Tomin J. Thachankary, without any arrangements,” said a farmer.
P.N. Jaimon, a farmer in Sinkukandam, said he would join the relay hunger protest on Saturday. “If the Revenue department evicts our land, we have no other way to survive,” he said.
Meanwhile, according to officials, the Idukki Collector will soon interact with the Chinnakkanal land protection movement members.
