Govt to continue action against encroachers: Minister

Thiruvananthapuram, June 13 (UNI) Asserting that the government would continue its ongoing action against encroachers in Munnar and other parts of the state, Kerala Revenue Minister K P Rajendran today said 968.55 acre of government land had been recovered till date through the special eviction drive.

Talking to mediapersons here, he said out of the 14,195 illegal encroachments identified by the special task force, constituted for the purpose, 5,209 were recovered and action against the remaining would be completed in a time bound manner.

Stating that the government's policy was to take action against ''big guns'' and recover the government land illegally possessed by them, the minister expressed the hope that all the government land could be recovered within three months.

''The government wanted stern action against the big guns and there is no compromise on it,'' he said adding that all religious places and political parties would be exempted from the action.

Mr Rajendran said the recovered land would be distributed to the landless people in the state during the second year of the Left Democratic Front government.

The Revenue Minister said criminal cases were registered against those, who had indulged in granting fake ''pattayams'' in Munnar.

UNI