The Hindu : Writ plea against tree felling adjourned

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 31, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala-Kochi

Writ plea against tree felling adjourned

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI Dec. 30. A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court adjourned to January 6 the hearing on a writ petition seeking a direction to the Union and State Governments to ensure that no trees, grassland and shola vegetations is cut and removed from the 500 hectares of upper Bhavani reserved forest in Mannarkad.

The vacation Bench comprising Justice A.K. Basheer and Justice K. Thankappan posted the petition to January 6 to enable the Government pleader to get instruction in the case.

The petition was filed by C.K. Janu, leader of the Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha leader and Anavayi Mudha Moopan, a tribal chieftain. The petitioners alleged that the deforestation activities began last week at the instance of the forest department officials. Valuable trees had been felled and transported. The forest area was part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and the silent valley national park. The forest was replete with rare kind of flora and fauna. Besides, many tribals were living in the forests. In fact, six acres of forest land had already been cleared by the forest officials and the value of trees would come to more than Rs. 25 crores. Though the District Collector had been informed about the largescale destruction of forest, he had failed to take any action. The forest department was also trying to fell the trees standing in the land possessed by Moopan. The petition also pointed out that largescale blasting and sand-mining was allowed inside the forest. The persons engaged in these activities were also killing many wild animals. The petitioner also sought a direction to the Governments to ensure that no sand-mining took place in the Bhavani river.

Petition adjourned

A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court today adjourned to February the hearing on a petition complaining that the CBI officials were torturing tribals in connection with the investigation into the Muthanga incidents. The petition was filed by Nallathampi Thera. According to him, the investigation by the CBI had not made any progress.

He alleged that the State Government had colluded with the Central Government in derailing the investigation. In fact, the CBI was not acting independently. During the investigation, the CBI had tortured certain tribals. The petitioner's earlier writ seeking CBI inquiry into the police atrocities against the tribals in Muthanga and also a direction for distributing land to the tribals were still pending before the court.

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Writ plea against tree felling adjourned