The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Kurinji festival to be held at Munnar from October 2

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 06, 2006

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Kurinji festival to be held at Munnar from October 2

Roy Mathew

Kurinjimala sanctuary likely to be formed; setting up of a protected area mooted

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Forest Department is planning to organise a kurinji festival at Munnar from October 2 to celebrate flowering of kurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana).

The festival, scheduled to coincide with the Wildlife Week celebrations, will feature cultural programmes and a photo exhibition, besides other events. MPs and MLAs are expected to participate.

Minister for Forests Benoy Viswam said that a declaration on setting up the proposed Kurinjimala sanctuary might be made during the festival. The matter was under active consideration of the State Government.

The Forest Department has recommended setting up a protected area covering the kurinji habitat, extending to about 8,000 hectares. However, plantations and other legal holdings by private parties will be excluded. The objective of the sanctuary will be protection of species endemic to region and their habitat (shola grasslands). As the area adjoins the Chinnar wildlife sanctuary, it will help to better protect the animals.

Land yet to be handed over

However, the formation of the sanctuary will be possible only if the Revenue Department hands over the land, which is technically ``revenue forests.'' These areas will come under the definition of forests as per a verdict of the Supreme Court in the Godavarma Thirumulpadu case. According to the verdict, provisions of the Forest (Protection) Act will apply to any area coming within the dictionary definition of forests.

Some of the areas proposed to be included in the sanctuary, such as Kambakallu and Kadavari, were notorious for ganja cultivation.

The previous Government had set up two forest stations there and eliminated ganja cultivation. Besides, the Forest Department has been given possession of the land.

Subsequently, the Government decided to transfer about 123 hectares of the land to the Forest Department in lieu of the forests being released from the Periyar Tiger Reserve for Sabarimala development.

However, a dispute arose between the Revenue and the Forest departments, with the latter seeking an area contiguous with the Chinnar sanctuary.

Joint meeting

A decision was taken in this regard at a joint meeting of Ministers in charge the Revenue, Forest and Devaswom departments in August.

They announced after the meeting that the transfer of the land sought by the Forest Department would take place within two and a half weeks. However, it is yet to take place.

Some areas of the proposed sanctuary are in possession of encroachers, and they are working against the Forest Department taking over these areas.

The sanctuary will materialise only if the Government takes decisions to hand over the land to the Forest Department.

The matter gains urgency because this is the flowering season of kurinji.

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