The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : `Panel report will have a bearing on CHR affidavit'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 22, 2005

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

`Panel report will have a bearing on CHR affidavit'

Staff Reporter

Report to be considered to prepare affidavit: Thiruvanchoor

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The findings of the Gopinathan Committee report of 1997 on the Cardamom Hills Reserve issue will be considered while preparing the Government's affidavit to the Supreme Court on the status of the reserve forest, Forest Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan has said.

The Committee had found that there is degraded forest in the Cardamom Hills and had also noted that the reserve forest is a "forest on record only," Mr. Radhakrishnan said. "There is degraded forest in the CHR area, we cannot but admit it," he added.

In reply to persistent questions from mediapersons on the status of the CHR forest - whether it was forest land or not - the Minister said all political parties were today agreed that those who possessed land in the CHR on or before January 1, 1977 had the right to have `pattayam' on the land.

"All steps taken subsequently to give `pattayam' to those in possession of land after this date, including the 1993 `pattayam mela,' were done subject to the provisions of the Forest Conservation Act. So there was no problem there. He said that actually there was no difference of opinion on the matter between the Revenue Department and the Forest Department," he said. According to a survey in the late 1890s, the area of the CHR had been fixed at 334 sq.miles, he added.

He announced that the interim relief declared for Government employees would also be made available, with effect from August 2005, to employees of the Kerala Water Authority. Permanent employees would be given Rs.300 a month, service pensioners Rs.175, family pensioners Rs.100, part-time contingent employees Rs.120 and part-time contingent pensioners Rs.30 a month.

The Government had appointed a committee to suggest pay revision in the KWA. This committee would be headed by principal secretary K. J. Mathew.

The additional secretary in the Department of Finance, the Technical member and the Accounts member of the KWA would be members of the committee.

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