THIRUVANNATHPURAM: What happened in Devikulam on Wednesday was a classical case of how encroachments take place in Idukki district especially in Munnar area. Sources say the modus operandi is to first level small patches of encroached land. Once the land is levelled, fast growing plants are grown along the boundary to conceal the illegal occupation. From outside the land would give the look of waste land or unused land. It would remain in this condition for six months or even for a year without attracting much public attention.
The plants would grow bigger and by now shrubs would cover the entire patch of land. One fine morning a shed would come up on the encroached land to suggest that it belongs to some landless and homeless person. After remaining in this condition again for a couple of months, the land would be reach the hands of land mafia. They will use it for constructing a pucca commercial building or a homestay. The encroachment which was evicted by revenue officials in Devikulam on Tuesday was illegally occupied by a health department retired employee. Here too the modus opernadi was the same.
The official, who has been working there for almost four decades, had put up the shed to suggest that after retirement he had no other place to go hence he would be live there. Subsequently he would hand over the land to the local mafia striking a deal for Rs 5 to Rs 10 lakh. The mafia will then take over the land, construct a home stay or a commercial establishment. The entire operation right from the illegal occupation of small patches of land to its transfer is stage managed by the land mafia. They pick officials and other vulnerable sections for their clandestine operations.
