Munnar encroachers get 2-week deadline

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The all party meet which met here on Friday to evolve a solution to free Munnar from encroachments, issued a two-week deadline to encroachers to return the land failing which strong legal measures will be taken against them.Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters that while taking harsh steps to remove illegal encroachments, utmost care would be taken to rehabilitate genuine landless poor.He said those who had settled there before January 1,1977, would be issued title deeds within a year."Also, landless tribals will be given land for housing and till they are allotted land, the government would ensure their livelihood," Oommen Chandy said.He said the lease period of the farm land would be extended further based on the Kuthakappattom Rules, subject to certain conditions.He added that the survey would be completed in another two years, with the help of ISRO and the National Informatics Centre.Munnar needs to have a longterm plan for overall ecofriendly development was the general mood of the representatives of the political parties, he said."The ordinance on Munnar promulgated by the previous government will not be revoked and, if required, further changes will be made to it," he said.Meanwhile, Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan took exception to Revenue Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan's statement that the demolition process in Munnar initiated by the LDF Government was nothing but statesponsored terrorism.He said at a time when a verdict favourable to the state was being expected in the Munnar demolition cases before the High Court, the Revenue Minister's statement would weaken the government's chances of winning the cases.The Revenue Minister refuted the allegations and said that the LDF Government had at a later stage rectified its mistake by confiscating a resort and handing it over to the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation.