Former Forest Minister Benoy Viswam alleged that the UDF government is facilitating the encroachment of forest land. “The UDF is trying to override the Ecologically Fragile Land Act 2011,” said Viswam at a press conference here on Saturday. The CPI leader opined that the government should hire legal experts to safeguard the law.

“If the government is not going to put up a good fight, then the state will lose the ownership of the land leased out to private parties. The encroachers have ensured the services of eminent lawyers from outside the state,” said Viswam.