Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Revenue Minister K Rajan said the anti-encroachment drive launched in Munnar will not affect the ordinary people. The aim of the drive is to reclaim the encroached government properties as per the law, he said.

“The government has no plans to challenge the survival of the ordinary people by snatching their properties. But we can't encourage encroachments. You don't need to expect a cinematic action in this drive. The district administration is leading the anti-encroachment drive. The government is not in a hurry to clear the encroachments. We only want to complete the legal procedures. The drive is not aimed at a particular person or group,” asserted the minister.

The minister added that the drive was part of LDF's electoral pledge. “The government has been trying to give land to the landless people in the state. Our stand against people who migrated there and encroachers is different. LDF government has never taken any action to evict poor people who don't own land even for their last rites. But the government is bound to conduct a detailed scrutiny as directed by the court,” he pointed out.

Refusing to comment on CPM leader M M Mani's criticism, the minister said that rather than responding to the comments, the government's aim is to implement more actions against encroachment. “There is no politics in this. The government will reclaim its properties and there will be no compromise on protecting the rights of the people. But strict action will be taken against unnecessary encroachments," he added.

He was addressing the media after Idukki district authority recovered a 5 acre land illegally possessed by a cardamom plantation owner at Chinnakanal on Thursday morning.