Southern States - Kerala   

'Visual proof of plunder'

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM NOV. 22. The Leader of the Opposition, V. S. Achuthanandan, is noted, and feared by many, for his frequent forays into inhospitable forest tracts, often with mediapersons on toe, investigating reports of forest plunder. Today, however, he chose to `take' the forest to the scribes.

The reporters, who reached the Cantonment House, official residence of the Leader of the Opposition, were in for a mild surprise. For, arranged on one side of the small hall was a video projection unit, screen and all. The mystery was cleared when Mr. Achuthanandan came on the scene and announced that he was about to show the assembled journalists "visual proof of the forest plunder" in the Kakkivani tracts of the Silent Valley.

The 11-minute video, which, the Leader of the Opposition said, had been supplied to him by an "upright Forest department official", showed tracts that had been rendered almost bald in large areas with just plantain for vegetation.

There were also visuals of lush green, towering trees in the distance in somewhat of a contrast to the scene of massive tree felling.

The video document, without any commentary and shot using an amateur equipment, ends with a brief, mostly inaudible interview with workers employed by the forest mafia.

But, for the launch of `electronic warfare' in Kerala politics, that seemed good enough.

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