TATA Tea not encroached govt land in Munnar: MD

Thiruvananthapuram, July 15 (UNI) Tata Tea company has not encroached on any government land in Munnar and the allegations in this regard against the company was ''baseless'', its Managing Director Percey T Siganporia said today.

Addressing a news conference here, he said the government survey in 2001, conducted on the basis of a recommendation of the Assembly Committee, had showed a shortage of 278.23 hectare in the company's total holdings.

However, the government had not published the report so far, though it had filed a statement before the Lok Ayukta. The allegations that the company had encroached upon 50,000 acres of government land were baseless, he pointed out.

The Land Board as per provisions of the Kannan Devan Hills (Resumption of Lands) Act 1971, had allowed the Kannan Devan Hills Plantations (KDHP) to retain 58,741.82 acre of land, out of the total extent of 137,606.04 acre land in the Kannan Devan Hills Village, he said.

It was with some mala fide intentions that the government ordered for a fresh survey by the National Remote Sensing Agency, Hyderabad using satellite mapping by misquoting the High Court judgments, he charged.

Clarifying that the company had no objection for such a survey and was ready to extend all support in this regard, he said it had not received any communication from the government in this regard.

Regarding uprooting of tea bushes by the task force, he alleged that the government flouted the agreement given to the company under ''Kuthagapattom''. According to the agreement, the government had to serve a three-month notice before taking back the land for road widening.

On Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan's declaration that he had taken over 2,000 acres of Tata Tea land and removed the company's name board in Munnar recently, Mr Siganporia said the land did not belong to the company, instead it was owned by the state Forest Department.

UNI