RAJAKKAD: 85 buildings built on encroached land in Poopara town were evacuated. 89 buildings occupied by 56 persons, three places of worship and one Kappela were evacuated. It includes 46 shops and 39 houses. The officers divided into four groups and started the operation at ten o'clock yesterday morning. Before starting the procedure, the Collector had announced a prohibitory order in three wards of Santhanpara panchayat including Poopara.

7 protestors were arrested. The revenue department took over the buildings including the ones constructed by encroaching the banks of Panniyar river. On the 17th, the Division Bench of the High Court had directed to take action within 6 weeks against the encroached buildings.

The action was taken by the revenue team led by Idukki Sub-Collector Arun S Nair, Udumbanchola Tehsildar AV Jose and Bhoorekha Tehsildar Seema Joseph. The procedure started at 10 am and continued till 4 pm.

More than a hundred police officers from various stations reached the spot under the leadership of Munnar DySP Alex Baby and Special Branch DySP Madhu Babu. Fire force units from Munnar and Adimali were also ready to deal with the emergency situation.

Shopkeepers with protest

The first thing that was done was to give time to remove the goods from the commercial establishments built on the encroached land. Some shopkeepers protested and created tension. The traders demanded that the eviction proceedings be extended by another week but the revenue authorities did not accept this. There was an altercation with the police while trying to close down a shop. The tension eased when the police arrested and removed 7 people. Officials said that traders will be given an opportunity to shift goods from closed shops if they file an application.