CPM HQs at T'puram encroaching on Kerala varsity land: Mani

Kochi, May 19 (UNI) Former Kerala Revenue Minister K M Mani today said the LDF Government should show the courage to remove the encroachments on Kerala University land by AKG Centre, the CPM headquarters at Thiruvananthapuram.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Mani denied allegations that his relatives had encroached on government or forest land.

''My son-in-law has not encroached on even one inch of land. Let the government prove the allegations and remove the encroachments if it finds any'', he said.

Alleging that the CPM had itself encroached on Kerala University land, Mr Mani said ''we want to know whether bulldozers would move towards the AKG Centre in Thiruvananthapuram''.

While the CPI office in Munnar had been demolished, will the Chief Minister show the same spirit regarding AKG Centre. A survey done during the UDF Government had revealed that the CPM had encroached on eight cents of land belonging to Kerala University, he said.

Similarly, at Ambayathottil in Kozhikode district, the CPM had encroached on 125 acres of land and in Kannur it had occupied 3,060 hectares. The Chief Minister should send a special team to these areas also to find the real situation and take stern action against the encroachers, he added.

Stating that the Manakulam area, declared as a reserved forest by the LDF Government, was being cultivated by farmers, Mr Mani said the land should be given to the farmers.

UNI