Govt decides to continue demolition drive in Munnar

Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 12 (UNI) The Kerala government today decided to continue the demolition drive in Munnar more vigorously and the Special Task Force (STF) engaged in the drive has been asked to be more cautious in differentiating genuine and false title deeds.

The STF would be provided with more staff and other facilities for continuing the demolition drive in Munnar, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan told reporters after a meeting with the Cabinet sub-committee, constituted to oversee demolition of illegal structures in Munnar.

Members of the STF K Suresh Kumar (Special Officer), Idukki District Collector Raju Narayanaswamy and Inspector-General of Police Rishi Raj Singh also attended the meeting.

The protest of the Communist Party of India, a constituent of the ruling Left Democratic Front, over the demolition of a portion of its party office at Munnar, was also patched up at the meeting with the Chief Minister stating that it was an error on the part of the STF team.

''There are two title deeds - Vrindavan and Ravindran Pattayams - in vogue in Munnar. All the Vrindavan pattayams are illegal where as half of the Ravindran Pattayams were legally given on the orders of a government decision. The STF team had a confusion with regard to the Ravindran Pattayams and the demolition of a portion of the CPI office had taken place in this regard,'' he said.

The STF had been directed not to commit such mistakes in future.

It was asked to ascertain the facts before venturing into such things, he added.

After the demolition drive began in Munnar, a portion of the CPI office was pulled down and the CPI had aired its protest against this. The CPI said the party office stood on an area, which it bought in 1958 and not on an encroached land.

Stating that 91 illegal buildings had been demolished in the drive and about 11,350 acres of land recovered, Mr Achuthanandan said all the big resorts and hotels on government land would be confiscated in two months.

The Sub-committee, headed by Revenue Minister K P Rajendran had Forest Minister Benoy Viswam, Electricity Minister A K Balan, Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Law Minister M Vijayakumar and Local-Self Government Minister Paloli Mohhamadkutty as members.

UNI