Encroachers in Idukki using locals as cover

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Revenue Special Team’s report on the massive encroachments in Idukki which had been left untouched for more than a year now, says that encroachers had been using the local villagers as a shield to resist any kind of government action in the hillocks bordering Tamil Nadu.The report prepared by the Land Bank officials who had found encroachments in Keezhanthoor, Kanthalloor, Vattavada, Kottakampoor and Marayoor villages where grandis (eucalyptus) was cultivated by benamis of several politicians and bigwigs,  says that the encroachers with the help of some politicians had been trying to turn the oorukkoottams or the village groups hostile towards the Survey officials. “There is no politics in these areas. The encroachers, with the help of politicians from both the fronts who colluded with them, tried to ignite the ire of the villagers against the Survey officials. They misled the villagers claiming that the officials were trying to confiscate their ancestral farmland,”  a senior Revenue official, who was closely associated with the survey in these areas, told Express. The officials  found it hard to convince the villagers that once the survey work was completed, the land confiscated from the encroachers would be distributed among them, he added.Revenue Minister Thiruvanchoor  Radhakrishnan told Express that the present government was committed to take immediate action on the report. “I had visited the areas during my visit to Idukki the other day and understood the level of  lawlessness there.  There are reports from the Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) and the sub-collector of the area. We will examine the report immediately and will take appropriate action,” Thiruvanchoor  Radhakrishnan said. The non-cooperation of the Forest and Revenue officials had resulted in a situation where there is total confusion regarding the boundaries of Revenue, Forest and private lands due to which the public is also suspicious about the activities of the government officials. This was being exploited by the encroachers to mislead the locals against the government officials, which according to the report was the main reason for the lawlessness prevailing in these hillocks.   The LDF Government had imposed a blanket ban on the felling of grandis trees. The report had recommended that the grandis cultivation itself should be banned, and the existing ones should be confiscated to the government.