from the mailbox: Large scale forest loot by communal ministers

dec 7th

let us note that k m mani and alphonse k are both christists, and so are the majority of the planters. mani has been especially active in giving land deeds to those who have squatted on public or tribal land.

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From: R

Minister accused of favouring big-time planters

Pioneer News Service/ Kochi The stance taken by Revenue Minister KM Mani and Land Revenue Commissioner Alphonse Kannanthanam that the 334-square-mile Cardamom Hills Reserve (CHR) in Idukki district is not forest land is against law, according to Wildlife Advisory Board member John Peruvanthanam.

He told The Pioneer here on Monday that the State Government itself has given reports to the Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court in various cases that CHR is forest land.

"On December 12, 1996, in the famous TN Godavarman Thirumulppadu case, a Division Bench of the Supreme Court had directed the State Government to appoint a committee to determine the forest area of the State. Subsequently, a committee was nominated by the State Government with Forest Conservator V Gopinath as chairman, Revenue Additional Secretary BS Senthil and Law Department Joint Secretary G Nalini as members.

The report submitted by this committee before the Supreme Court clearly stated that CHR is forest land and the trees and land will come under the joint control of the Forest and the Revenue departments, Mr John said.

"The CHR has been described as forest land in the report submitted by the commission that investigated the Mathikettan forest land encroachment case under the-then Additional Chief Secretary N Chandrasekharan Nair as chairman and the secretaries of the Forest the Revenue departments as members. An annexure, which is a notification of the Revenue Department released in 1958, to this report says that Kerala's CHR area is 334 square miles or 2,15,480 acres.

This investigation report on Mathikettan was submitted when KM Mani was the Minister. That means, the present arguments of Mr Mani, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Mr Alphonse Kannanthanam are an insult to the Constitution and the Supreme Court," Mr John said.

He is of the view that the Revenue Minister and his team is trying to protect large-scale plantation owners in the name of farmers.

"I am raising a serious issue. The long-term consequences of destroying forest land will be massive. For example, a stretch from Bodymettu (on the Tamil Nadu border, near Idukki) to Ramakkalmedu in Idukki district has already undergone the process of desertification owing to ecological imbalance. This occurred in the last 20 years. There is no rain in this area ," he said.

"Gradually, the entire Idukki area may have the same fate. It is to be noted that there are 18 hydro-electric projects in Idukki district. Idukki is also the catchment area of the river Periyar. If the Periyar has no water, 25 lakh people in Ernakulam district will suffer. When such far-reaching, harmful effects are there, it is reprehensible for a Minister to make such erroneous statements," Mr Peruvanthanam said.