District Collector P. Venugopal has said action will be taken against illegal land conversion and hill demolition in the district.
Talking to reporters here on Saturday, Mr. Venugopal said action would be taken against the officials concerned, if any illegal land conversion activity was found unattended in their jurisdiction.
Tightening the noose on the so-called ‘land mafia,' the Collector ordered a surprise inspection at a hilly area near the collectorate where the Revenue Department had permitted an applicant to remove earth from 10 cents of land for house construction.
However, the revenue investigation team had found that the applicant had illegally removed earth from one acre of land under the cover of the permit.
Additional District Magistrate H. Salimraj accompanied by senior superintendent and inquiry officer Titty Annie George visited the site and took an earth-mover and a jack-hammer into custody.
The Collector who visited the spot on Friday had suspended Kozhenchderry tahsildar K. James John and driver T.S. Najeem, pending inquiry, in connection with the illegal land conversion.
The preliminary inquiry report submitted by the senior superintendent had found fault with the suspended tahsildar in checking illegal sand-mining, hill demolition, and paddy field conversion in different parts of the taluk.
Mr. Venugopal said there were allegations of illegal land conversion taking place on either side of the Ring Road in the municipal limits and action would be taken, if any violation was detected.
