Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan vows to protect settlers

Kochi: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan promised to give title deeds to all deserving persons in Idukki on Sunday. Speaking after inaugurating the title deed presentation at Kattappana in Idukki district, Pinarayi said the government was aware that more people were in need of title deeds.

Pinarayi also said a deliberate effort was on to paint settlers as encroachers and the government would not fall into this trap. Stressing his determination to have a lenient attitude towards smalltime settlers, he made it clear that stringent measures would be taken against large scale encroachers. The Chief Minister also made it clear that the government would make a distinction between large-scale encroachers and small time settlers.

The views expressed by Pinarayi is contrary to the position adopted by CPI that all encroachers should be dealt with equally.

The Chief Minister however agreed that large scale encroachers were encroaching on land using the settlers as a cover. Describing Munnar as a goldmine of Kerala, Pinarayi stressed the importance of conserving the ecology of the region. “We will protect the interests of the people by protecting the special features of the Munnar region”, he added. Stating that encrachers would be evicted from Munnar, Pinarayi said the land problem in Munnar was complex with the issue of encroachment and settlers being entwined. “People having just a roof over their heads and those coming with the intention of land grabbing for profit should be treated separately,” he added.  “People having a clear record of land ownership will be protected”, he said.