Representative image of demolition drive.
Credit: PTI Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: The eviction drive of rampant land encroachments that began at Idukki high range district of Kerala on Thursday was facing stiff resistance from the leaders of the ruling CPM itself.
Sources said that around five acres of cardamom plantation on an encroached land close to Chinnakanal near Munnar was evicted by the revenue officials on Thursday.
As the eviction drive was progressing, CPM district secretary C V Varghese told media that the district administration was only evicting one encroachment as per court directive and there would not be further evictions now.
However, district collector Sheeba George reportedly told the media that the eviction drive would continue as it was being done as per court instructions.
The eviction drive was initiated as per direction of Kerala High Court on petitions filed by an NGO. Over 300 instances of land encroachments were found in the district. Encroachments on river banks were even found to be causing shrinking of rivers in some regions.
CPM district leaders of Idukki, including former minister and MLA M M Mani, said that moves to evict poor families would be resisted. However, there were allegations that even close relatives of CPM leaders have encroached on land in the hilly district.
In 2007, then CM V S Achuthanandan had initiated a major eviction drive at Munnar by razing even resorts on land encroached upon by influential people.
The drive ended abruptly after offices of Left parties also faced threat of demolition by a three-member team of top officials engaged by Achuthanandan.
Encroachments by putting up religious structures were also quite rampant in Idukki.