Kerala high court on Tuesday ordered that no construction activity shall be permitted at Parunthumpara in Idukki without prior approval from the revenue and panchayat authorities. The directive was issued by a division bench comprising Justices Anil K Narendran and S Muralee Krishna after reviewing a report submitted by a special investigation team (SIT) probing illegal land grabbing in the area.
The SIT, headed by IG K Sethuraman, reported extensive encroachments on govt land. On Monday, a special revenue team demolished a large crucifix erected on encroached land at Parunthumpara. A resort owner had installed the cross in an attempt to prevent eviction from the encroached land.
HC emphasised that construction in the region should only be carried out with a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the revenue department and a building permit from the relevant local self-govt institution. It instructed the revenue, police and forest officials, along with local self-govt authorities, to ensure strict compliance with this order.
The bench also included the district police chief, Idukki, as a party to the case and directed him to provide adequate protection to officers engaged in preventing illegal constructions. Further, the police and revenue officials were instructed to monitor and prevent any excavation of land or unauthorised construction in the area.
The govt pleader was tasked with obtaining instructions regarding the movement of goods vehicles to Parunthumpara, with specific orders that the district administration and police should restrict the transportation of construction materials. The matter has been scheduled for further consideration on March 13.
According to the SIT report, encroachments were identified on Puramboke land at Parunthumpara in Survey No. 543, covering 624.84 acres in Peerumade village and in Survey No. 441, covering 9,875.96 acres in Manchumala village. The investigation team cautioned that encroachers were attempting to manipulate the resurvey and digital survey processes to legitimise their occupation and obtain survey documents. Consequently, the SIT recommended that the state govt immediately halt the resurvey and digital survey of Puramboke land in the affected villages.
During the hearing, the special govt pleader informed the court that a list of alleged encroachers mentioned in the SIT report would be compiled in a tabular format to facilitate the court in impleading those individuals in the proceedings. The court also impleaded the secretaries of Peerumade and Vandiperiyar grama panchayats as respondents in the case.
