History · Environment · 9 min read

Land and Law in Munnar: Encroachment, Evictions and the Fight for the Hills

Who owns the hills of Munnar? A history of the land, from the planters' lease to the 1971 resumption, the tourism boom, the 2007 demolition drive, the cross on Pappathichola hill and the task forces of recent years.

By GK Global, Adimali, Munnar · Trails & Tales by GK

Land is the most valuable and most contested thing in Munnar. The hills are steep, much of the land is forest or plantation, and flat, buildable land is scarce. As tourism has grown, the pressure to build has become intense, and disputes over who owns the land, and whether buildings on it are legal, have become one of the defining issues of modern Munnar.

From lease to resumption

In 1877, the Kannan Devan Hills were leased by the chief of Poonjar to John Daniel Munro, and the land passed to the planting companies. (Read our history of Munnar.) In 1971, the Kerala government passed the Kannan Devan Hills (Resumption of Lands) Act, taking back the land not used for tea; the company kept the land under tea and associated uses. The resumed land included the high plateau that became Eravikulam National Park, as well as large areas that were to be used for public purposes, including housing for the landless.

The tourism boom

From the 1990s, Munnar became one of the most popular hill stations in India. Hotels, resorts and homestays multiplied, many built on steep slopes, along streams and on land of disputed ownership. Some construction was on government land without valid title; some on land given for agriculture but used for buildings; and some in violation of rules on construction in the hills. Environmentalists warned that unregulated building was destroying the landscape and increasing the risk of landslides.

Operation Munnar, 2007

In 2007, the government of Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan launched a high-profile drive against illegal construction and encroachment in Munnar, led by a special task force under the IAS officer K. Suresh Kumar. Bulldozers demolished dozens of buildings, including parts of resorts, and the government reclaimed large areas of land; reports put the figures at around a hundred structures and thousands of acres. The drive was widely popular with the public but met fierce political opposition, and it was halted after about a month. Many cases ended up in the courts.

The cross on Pappathichola

In April 2017, revenue officials led by the Devikulam sub-collector removed a large metal cross that had been erected by a religious group on Pappathichola hill near Munnar, on what the authorities said was encroached government land. The action caused a political controversy, and the Chief Minister criticised the manner of the removal. The episode showed how disputes over land in Munnar are entangled with politics, religion and tourism.

Courts and task forces

Environmental groups have taken the issue to the courts. Acting on a petition filed in 2010 by the environmental group One Earth One Life, the Kerala High Court ordered the government to act against encroachments in the high-range taluks of Idukki. In 2023, a special task force led by the Idukki District Collector began new eviction drives, reclaiming land in Chinnakanal and other villages of Devikulam and Udumbanchola taluks. The district administration listed hundreds of encroachment cases. Once again, the drive provoked political disagreement.

Why it matters

The disputes over land in Munnar are not only about law and politics. They are about the future of the hills. Unregulated construction on steep slopes increases the risk of landslides, as the floods of 2018 showed. Buildings in elephant corridors increase conflict with wildlife. (Read about human–wildlife conflict and Munnar's climate.) At the same time, thousands of plantation workers and small farmers have no secure land of their own. (Read about Munnar's tea workers.) How Kerala resolves these questions will shape Munnar for generations.