As the encroachment of eucalyptus plantation at Suryanelli in Munnar by the landless estate workers reached the fifth day on Thursday, the adamant agitators said they would not vacate the land unless the government provided alternative land and houses as promised to them.
Various organisations have come out in support of the agitation. Leaders of the agitation said they would put up more sheds in the area. There would not go back, as the government was obliged to give them land and houses as promised to them, said Rajesh Kumar, a leader of the agitation.
He said that over 400 estate workers from Munnar tea plantations and Udumbanchola cardamom plantations were among those who constructed permanent houses. Meanwhile, an officer of the Revenue Department said they were watching the situation and waiting for orders to take action against the encroachers.
The land encroached upon by the workers was earlier in the name of a Delhi-based company and the Revenue Department had cancelled the title-deed finding that it was created illegitimately. The Udumbanchola tahsildar reached the encroached area on Monday and asked the agitators to vacate the land. But he had to face stiff resistance from the agitators.
Sources said that more landless workers were reaching there and erecting sheds, extending the encroached area to the nearby revenue land. It was also suspected that the land was encroached upon with ulterior motives and the land mafia was behind this. As of now, it was not clear whether the agitators were receiving political support or not.
Saramma Joseph, secretary, Scheduled Castes Coordination Committee, said the committee would extend support to the agitators, if needed. She said the workers were forced to encroach upon the land as they had no other option.
The poor people were living in the estate lanes for long and they were moved out without a place to go. It was the government which promised them land and houses. The government had the moral responsibility to keep the promise given to the landless workers, she added.
Leaders of the Welfare Party of India (WPI) visited the encroached land and extended support to the agitators. The WPI leaders said that an integrated plan should be devised to distribute land to the landless workers and the illegally held land by the private parties should be given to them.
