VS targets party MLA over land scam

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A decade after the much-publicised demolition drive in Kerala hill station Munnar, the misty getaway hogged the limelight again on Tuesday with former chief minister VS Achuthanandan reiterating that land encroachment and illegal constructions were rampant in the area.

The Marxist veteran said the party MLA from the area, S Rajendran, was a henchman of land mafia and he was really pained to see encroachment in the ecologically-fragile area. Ironically chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has gave a clean chit to the legislator a day ago rubbishing allegations against him. “The Left Democratic Front should keep its poll promises and evict all encroachers from the area irrespective of their position and social status,” Achuthanandan added.

There are allegations that Rajendran has built a big house on the encroached land.

As CM, Achuthanandan had carried out a demolition drive in Munnar in 2007 razing resorts and buildings built on encroached land. But the drive came to an abrupt end due to political pressure. Pinarayi Vijayan, then party secretary, had raised questions about the operating freedom given to three of Achuthanandan’s trusted employees to carry out the drive.

Recently, the assembly committee on environment visited the area and sought the creation of a Munnar Development Authority to oversee the end of illegal construction . The state land revenue commissioner also apprised the government of the seriousness of the situation.