Kochi: The All India Kisan Sabha of CPI has demanded revoking of the Forest Department’s notification to convert 364.39 hectares of land in Chinnakanal Village to Reserve Forest in Idukki district in Kerala.
Its vice president Mathew Varghese welcomed the Kerala government’s decision to suspend the implementation of the order. Mathew said the government should withdraw the order and initiate action against the officials who took the decision to convert it to forest land.
The CPM, CPI and other outfits under a common platform had resorted to mass protest against the move.
CPM leader and Former Minister M M Mani, MLA, of Udumbanchola warned of serious consequences if the notification was implemented. The government should revoke the notification, Mani said, adding that he was not against protecting the forest.
The Revenue Department had allowed the Hindustan Newsprints Ltd (HNL) to grow trees to produce pulp in 1974 on lease which had already expired. It was after this the Forest Department made the move to convert the land into a reserve forest.
The Forest Department had published gazette notification about setting up the ‘Chinnakanal reserve’ covering areas Pappathi Chola and Suryanelli in Udumbanchola taluk in September.
The notification said that some people had encroached the land in this area while some were trespassing through the land.
Once implemented, farmers will not be able to take even water from this area. Farmers association and others alleged that the forest department had kept the matter highly secret.
