Resort Owned by NDA MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar Accused of Land Encroachment

A resort owned by Rajeev Chandrasekhar, NDA MP and Chairman of television channel Asianet News has come under a cloud of controversy after accusations that the resort is being built on encroached land.

The Niraamaya Resort, which is being built on the bank of the Lake Vembanad at Kumarakom in Kottayam district of Kerala, is alleged to have encroached upon government land, and to have violated the Wetland Conservation Act.

The construction of two cottages have been completed, and the rest of the construction work is in the last stage.

The Kumarakom panchayat has said that public land has been encroached upon to construct the resort. The panchayat president has given written complaints to the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan, and the District Collector.

The Revenue Department also reportedly said that it is clear that there is encroachment by Niraamaya Resort. Kottayam Additional Tehsildar Geetha told Azhimukham portal that the encroached land has been measured with the help of the Assistant Surveyor, as per the direction of the Kerala High Court. There would be action against the resort for violating the law, said the Additional Tehsildar.

Kumarakom panchayat president AP Salimon said that the panchayat is not satisfied with the Revenue Department's moves. It has been nine months since it was discovered that public land and backwaters have been encroached upon. "It is only because of media reports, and protests by DYFI and CPI(M) that even this response by the Revenue Department has come," Salimon added. "Now they are saying that there would be action. Words are not enough, action is required. The Revenue Department should act quickly."

Concerned people of the region and social activists had filed a case in the High Court in this regard. The High Court, after being convinced about the encroachment, directed the Kottayam tehsildar to evict the encroachers and to hand over the land to the panchayat.

There are also allegations that the workers are not being given the wages agreed upon in the presence of the Labour Officer. The workers say that the wages, which was to have increased from April 2017, has not been paid. According to the workers, there are arrears of nearly Rs 5 lakh so far. The workers had gone on a warning strike on Monday against the violation of the agreement.

Activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) held a protest march to the resort on Thursday. The youth activists planted their flag within the resort compound. The road that the resort was using for its private purposes was opened up for use by the public.

The Vembanad Lake is the longest lake in India, and the largest lake in Kerala. It is a Ramsar site - a wetland deemed to be of "international importance" under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a member of the Rajya Sabha and vice-chairman of the BJP-led NDA in Kerala, is the founder and chairman of Jupiter Capital Pvt. Ltd., which owns the Asianet News channel. He is one of the largest investors in Republic TV. The Niraamaya Resort is reportedly being built by Jupiter Capital.