By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy Wednesday announced that the government would call an all-party meeting June 24 to discuss encroachment in the picturesque Munnar hills in Idukki district.
Addressing reporters here after the weekly cabinet meeting, Chandy said there would be no bulldozing of encroachments and the government would tackle the problem using land laws.
“We are not going to appoint a special task force for this because the already identified encroachment will be taken over by the government,” he said.
“We want to hear the views of all political parties on this issue and once we do that, we will start the action to see that all encroachment, whether on forest or revenue land in Munnar, is taken over,” said Chandy.
In 2007, a special task force appointed by former chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan bulldozed illegal constructions in Munnar. The action forced several resort owners to move court.
Chandy said: “The revenue minister was there in Munnar Tuesday and he has given a report on the encroachment. Our action will not affect farmers engaged in agricultural activities.”
Munnar, located about 2,500 feet above sea level, is often referred to as a tea town because of the presence of more than 50,000 acres of tea estates.
Last year, the Kerala High Court observed that “green” Munnar had now become “brown” Munnar because of widespread encroachment by the rich and the powerful.