THENI: The state government has started the process to evict encroachers from the Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve as per the orders of the Supreme Court and the central empowered committee (CEC).
On Saturday, the district collector of Theni, Dr R Vaithinathan, issued an order constituting a joint team of officials from the revenue survey, forest and police departments to conduct a survey and clearly demarcate the forest boundaries. A total of 118 families of government employees, who are among the encroachers, will be evicted on priority, sources said.
The survey and demarcation work must be completed by August 31, 2026, and no member of the team can avail of leave or remain absent without permission, the collector’s order states. “The assistant director of survey shall submit a daily report to the district administration regarding the work carried out each day.
Tahsildars concerned shall monitor the work in their respective areas, compile the progress reports and submit them to the district administration on a daily basis. The revenue divisional officers of Periyakulam and Uthamapalayam shall also monitor the progress. The forest department shall provide the necessary facilities and vehicles required for carrying out the land survey,” the order states.
The development has left residents of the hill villages deeply worried. S Marthupandi, coordinator of the forest rights committee, who has been organising people for protest against the evictions, told TNIE that Cumbum MLA Jeganath Mishra had assured them that the government would file a review petition against the Supreme Court’s order, but there has been no such development so far. He added that the residents would soon begin an indefinite protest against the apex court’s order.
A senior officer in the district administration said, as per the CEC’s report, a total of 4,601 families residing in 98 villages in the region have encroached on 5,072.653 hectares of land. “The families have been categorised into three phases. Category III encroached on 2,867,706 hectares of land in the area. They are rich and purposely encroached here; eviction will be commenced on their lands soon,” he said.
The official further stated that earlier, as per the apex court’s directions, 12 resorts were closed, and the buildings would be demolished soon. “Persons falling under category I will be relocated outside the forest area, and 54 such families have already moved to ready-built quarters provided by the state government. Remaining families will be relocated soon,” he said.
Speaking to TNIE, Collector Vaithinathan said out of the 118 government employees who were served eviction notices, some had handed over their land to the district administration.
It may be recalled that on February 8, 2021, Megamalai and its surrounding forest areas were declared part of the Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve.