KOCHI: The ecologically fragile region of Munnar has been brought to the limelight again with the Assembly Committee on Environment headed by Mullakkara Ratnakaran submitting a report calling for stringent action against encroachment and illegal buildings in the region. Another report by Land Revenue Commissioner A.T. James expressing alarm over encroachment has also highlighted the threat facing the region. The reports by Mullakkara and James have been preceded by a report by the then Idukki district police chief A.V. George providing graphic details of the encroachment. The Devikulam sub-collector Sreeram Venkatraman has also submitted several reports highlighting the appropriation of government land by private individuals with the connivance of political leaders and officials in the region.
As expected the entrenched land mafia in the Idukki district in general and Munnar in particular is up in arms against these reports as green activists across the state are expressing concern over the unbridled nature of land grab, illegal quarrying and resort construction in the region. S. Rajendran CPM MLA from Devikulam has been in the forefront of the criticism against the above reports. According to Mr. Rajendran, who has openly criticized the recommendations by Mullakkara Committee, all these talk about destruction of the environment would only help in halting the development of the region. Mr. Rajendran also feels that the suggestions made by the Mullakkara Committee are also impractical.
Although persons like Rajendran are trying to paint any critical questions as anti-development fresh allegations have been surfaced over CPM leaders enclosing 10 acres of government land in Munnar Town and converting the same into a ‘party village’. Media persons, who have tried to report about place, were chased away by the local party leaders with abuses. James Zachariah, a former official in the Kerala Forest Department with years of experience in Munnar, says the level of encroachment, illegal quarrying and resort construction in the region has reached a tipping that would have disastrous consequences. “The authorities should take immediate steps to put an end to the unprecedented levels of illegality taking place in the region for the past few years”, he said.
Green activists feel that encroachment mafia should not be allowed to go scot-free and take shelter under the development paradigm to conceal their illegalities. Marxists ruling in Kerala wedded to the idea of development at any cost may not be familiar with the philosophical concern shown by Marx over the complex relationship between human being and the nature, they pointed out. Expressing concern over the unbridled exploitation of nature Marx has warned about possible ‘metabolic rift’ that would put the entire civilization in peril. “Nature is man’s inorganic body. Man lives from nature and he must maintain a continuing dialogue with it if he is not to die”, these words of Marx clearly shows that he was not an advocate of unending development as has been made out by the champions of development at any cost. Munnar and the surrounding region have been facing large scale encroachment following the growth in the tourism industry in the state. A section of tourism industry is also worried about the unbridled encroachment proving to be a nemesis for the hospitality sector in Munnar.
