Is the LDF government doing enough to prevent the encroachment of lands in Idukki? This was the poser that animated Kerala Assembly on Tuesday.

It was Congress's Muvattupuzha MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan who brought Idukki encroachment to the spotlight through an adjournment motion. Recently, a special investigation team had found that hundreds of acres had been encroached upon illegally using fake title deeds in Idukki's Parumthumpara, Wagamon, Chokramudi, Chinnakkanal, Mankuttymedu, Anakkaramedu and Kottakambur areas.

Revenue minister K Rajan argued that the government had acted swiftly. "On March 14, the government issued an order cancelling all the fake title deeds and 'thandaper' issued at Parumthumpara in Bison Valley," he said in the Assembly. Elaborating on the government's resolve, Rajan said: To prevent the usual practice of the accused approaching the courts to strike down the action, all procedures laid down in Kerala Land Conservancy Act were rigorously followed, including the grant of six chances to the accused to attend the hearing."

The minister said that most of the encroachments in Idukki could be traced to the topographical peculiarity of its land. Since the land is vast, one survey number itself will be thousands of acres. Title deeds are given to parcels of land within a survey number, and all of them will possess the same survey number.

"In the guise of a title deed granted to a survey number decades ago, title deeds are forged for lands having the same survey number but have not been given title deeds," the minister said. Meaning, a single survey number can be used to take hold of lands still in government possession.

Parumthumpara is an expanse of 1.96 lakh acres that included the 624 acres in survey number 534 of Peerumedu village and the 9785 acres that fell within 441 survey number of Manjumala Village. The special investigation team found that certain people had taken hold of lands within the survey number 441 of Manjumala Village on the basis of title deeds issued in 1966 and 1990.

Kuzhalnadan said that a large chunk of encroachments were in the survey number 534 of Parumthumpara village. There are 624.87 acres within this survey number.

The MLA pointed out a bizarre fact. "This (survey number 534) land is not suitable for either agriculture or for the construction of houses. It is a plain rocky expanse," he said. By law, title deeds can be granted only for arable land. "When the law is clear, how can title deeds be granted for craggy lands," the Muvattupuzha MLA asked.

Further, hinting at political patronage, Kuzhalnadan said that the village officer and taluk surveyor had submitted innumerable reports of illegal encroachments in the area before the Peerumedu tahsildar. "But no action has been taken," he said.

Kuzhalnadan said that when he traced the encroachments to its roots he realised that there was a lobby behind this. "And this lobby had the backing of the state government," he said. "Or else why was the administration unwilling to evict the encroachers despite the evidence," he said.

Opposition Leader V D Satheesan, too, found the 'swift action' argument of the revenue minister a bit dubious. He reminded minister Rajan that since 2022 the village officer and taluk officer had filed many reports that provided voluminous evidence of encroachment in the area. "But the Peerumedu tahsildar has not bothered to take action," the Opposition Leader said.

The land's unsuitability for granting title deed was also mentioned. "A 'patta' (title deed) cannot be given for a rocky expanse," he said. Yet, Satheesan said the administration had not invoked the Kerala Land Conservancy Act and slapped cases on people who had encroached over thousands of acres.

At this point, the minister intervened to say that there were certain elaborate procedures to be followed before initiating action against the accused.

Satheesan sounded amused. "Isn't it a fact that that the Revenue Department was aware of this encroachment since 2022? But even in 2025 not a single case has been charged," Satheesan said.

He then went on to give more examples of government complicity. In Chokamudi, Satheesan said that there was encroachment in two areas. "In one area, as the minister said, the title deed for 13.71 acres had been cancelled. I welcome the move. But who encroached on the land?," he said in the tone of a man who knew all the secrets.

But he said he will not take any names. "Mentioning any names related to encroachment in Idukki could turn out to be controversial," he said. This 'I won't take any names' became a constant refrain right through his 12-minute speech.

"This encroacher (Chokramudi's) is based in Chennai. No action was taken against him though the tahsidar and sub-collector had given reports saying that this man had encroached 344.5 acres of land in Kottakambur," the Opposition Leader said.

After selling the encroached land in Kottakambur, this 'Chennai man' set his sights on Chokramudi. Even the CPI's Idukki district secretary, K K Shivaraman, was outraged. The senior leader from the revenue minister's party said in a Facebook post that it was a top revenue official who facilitated the encroachment.

Satheesan said that in Kallambalam, on the other side of Chokramudi, another set of encroachers had done something even more outrageous. He said that they blasted the rock and constructed a road 2.5-km long and 10 metres wide. "I won't take any names. If I name the person it can cause trouble," he said.

Now Satheesan had a poser. "Which is the immovable rock. The one that is found in the land or the government that could not move even a pinkie after knowing that a road was illegally constructed?" "I know you cannot because there is political pressure," Satheesan told the minister. "There are important people behind it. Can you deny it?"

Here is yet another Satheesan poser. "Who encroached the land of adivasis and HNL (Hindustsan Newsprint Limited) in Chinnakkanal?" "Here also I will not name the culprits. Could you even touch these encroachers."

Forget encroachment, Satheesan said rock mining was going on in revenue land in Idukki. "In 2024 alone, the district geologist filed 24 reports saying that rock mining was being held. The name of the person involved ("a man belonging to a very important family") was also included. Finally, action was taken. The district geologist was shunted out," Satheesan said.

The revenue minister just remained silent.