10 acres of encroached government land in Wagamon reclaimed

The Revenue Department has reclaimed nearly 10 acres of encroached government land at Varattumedu, near the Wagamon hill station in Peermade taluk in Idukki.

According to officials, an individual who owns 1.25 acres of titled land at Varattumedu used those ownership documents to illegally occupy nearly 10 acres of adjacent revenue land and construct buildings on it. The site is part of a larger 1,087-acre tract of government-owned land.

After reports of the encroachment surfaced, revenue officials inspected the spot and confirmed that the constructions were entirely on government property. On Wednesday, officials demolished the illegal structures and installed a board declaring it government land.

Additionally, authorities noted that dangerous off-road MUV trekking activities were taking place on the Varattumedu hills. Officials announced that all off-road trekking along this route will be banned starting Thursday. They added that actor Prakash Raj owns a portion of land in the area and has been issued a notice to conduct a survey and produce the land’s boundary sketch.

Revenue officials reaffirmed that strict action will be taken against all illegal constructions and land grabs in the Varattumedu tourism zone. Peermade Tehsildar Jojo V. Sebastian, Land Records Tehsildar R. Hareendranath, Wagamon Village Officer P.B. Gopikrishnan, and Elappara Village Officer Vijayakumar led the eviction drive.

In recent years, Wagamon has emerged as a major tourist destination in the district, leading encroachers to increasingly target public land to capitalise on its tourism potential.