The Forest Department officials have been directed to evict encroachers in about 4,000 acres of reserve forests in the eastern circle which falls in Palakkad and Malappuram districts and look into the encroachments within the Nelliyampathy reserve forests.
‘’The Divisional Forest officials in the eastern circle have been asked to expedite the process and to serve notices to all encroachers at the earliest,’’ said Chief Conservator of Forests (eastern Circle) N K Sashidharan, who is the convenor of the special team probing allegations of irregularities by the leased-out estates in Nelliyampathy reserve forests.
Stating that the encroachers included both estate owners and farmers, he said that the eviction would not be a smooth process. There will be resistance to eviction and the assistance of police will be sought if necessary, he added.
The decisions were taken at a high-level meeting of the special team, which has as its members District Police chiefs, district government pleaders, Deputy Collectors (Land reforms), District Survey Superintendents and District Registrars of Malappuram and Palakkad districts and Divisional Forest Officers of the divisions concerned. It was also decided to constitute a committee to look into the actual situation of the 900 acres of Karuna Plantations in Nelliyampathy.
The committee is being set up in the light of former Nenmara DFO’s report that there was some irregularities in the documents with respect to the land even though the estate owners had got a court order in their favour. The panel comprises Deputy Collector, Nenmara DFO, District Survey Superintendent and the district registrar.