Revenue department officials clearing encroachment on M.G. Colony, near Munnar, on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
A special team of the Revenue department on Thursday evicted a major encroachment on government land at M.G. Colony, near Munnar town, in Idukki.According to officials, nearly 20 families had encroached upon government Puramboke land in M.G. Colony and erected temporary sheds. Following a directive from the Devikulam Subcollector, the Munnar special tahsildar led the eviction drive.Munnar special tahsildar C.V. Gayathri confirmed that the families had encroached upon public land and constructed sheds.“A digital survey is currently under way in Munnar. These families encroached upon the land hoping that the ongoing survey would grant them official ownership titles,” Ms. Gayathri said. “The revenue team removed 11 sheds and evicted the occupants on Thursday. Seven families that obtained stay orders from the Kerala High Court were not evicted,” she said.Revenue officials said the encroachments took place during the recent Assembly election period when the revenue officials had been deputed for election duty. “These families already own houses elsewhere in Munnar,” an official said.According to Revenue department sources, an organised gang has been engaged in land encroachments in Munnar. “They initially construct small, temporary sheds on government land, later convert them into permanent structures. These properties are then sold off for tourism purposes,” said the source.The officials said those evicted started rebuilding the sheds by Thursday evening. To counter this, the Revenue department is planning evictions with police assistance. Published - June 04, 2026 06:51 pm IST
