Tata company largest encroacher in Munnar

Tata group owned Kanan Devan Hills Plantation (KDHP) company was the "largest encroacher" of government land involving "thousands of acres" in the hilly Munnar region, the district administration alleged in a report submitted in the Kerala High Court on Friday.

In a 470-page Action Taken Report, the Idukki District Collector said that there was gross violation and encroachment by the Tatas.

Action had been taken for encroachment against KDHP, but it had been stayed by different courts, the report said. Tatas had also violated lease conditions and was collecting rent from Munnar town area claiming it was their land as per land board award, it claimed.

Among the allegations against the Tatas were unauthorised construction of dams and electric fencing, even violating the elephant corridor. A special team to identify boundaries of villages at Munnar has been constituted.

Immediate demarcation of actual extent of land of Tata, land it had sold and encroached upon would be undertaken, it said.

The report said action had been taken against 119 resorts and 14,000 acres recovered from encroachers from 2007-2010.

The ATR was filed on a query by the court regarding action taken on the basis of the reports filed by Principal Revenue Secretary Niveditha P Haran and two other officials on a petition by One life, One Earth, an NGO, complaining of large scale encroachments in Munnar.