Power Minister M.M. Mani has said that no construction has been made in Munnar without the permission of the panchayat concerned.
Mr. Mani told reporters here on Friday that no unauthorised construction has come to his notice in Munnar so far. The government land was largely confined to Devikulam. The government had decided to evict encroachments on its land. The Kerala State Electricity Board too had taken steps to protect its land, he said.
No building had been constructed without the permission of the grama panchayat, he said.
The government was committed to avoiding load-shedding and power cut at any cost. Though the water level in all dams had dipped, precautionary steps had been made to avert a crisis.
The CPI(M) was in favour of implementing the Athirappilly hydroelectric project. But the CPI and the United Democratic Front were opposed to it. Since the front had a common minimum programme and the CPI was against it, the project could be implemented only through consensus, he said.
