Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has directed the Home Principal Secretary of State to initiate a proper probe in the Valiyakavu reserve forest encroachment case.
Six persons were arrested by the Perumpetty police on July 26 for the attempt to encroach the reserve forest land using fake documents.
After the incident, former MLA Joseph M Puthussery had submitted a complaint to the Chief Minister.
“A detailed probe by the Vigilance Department will be needed to deal with encroachment. The land mafia has tried to encroach the forest land many times in connivance with the Revenue Department officials. A revenue officer was suspended for another encroachment case some years ago here,” he said. Deputy Collector Abdul Samad and Mallapally taluk officer K S Mathew had visited the site and had given a report to the government after the arrest of the culprits. 400 acres of forest land had been notified by the government in 1952.
The attempt to encroach the forest land had started from 1956. A number of attempts were blocked by the local people with the help of the police and the forest officials. A court order had demanded to sequestrate the land in connection with a money lending case.