THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Forest Department will get control of more than 17,000 hectares as a result of the proposal to transfer ecologically sensitive Revenue land in Munnar and nearby areas to the Department.

This will be the biggest addition to the forests of Kerala after the vesting of private forests in Government in 1971.

The areas to be transferred to the Department and declared as reserve forests will include the Mankulam forests besides land taken from encroachers.

Land cleared of encroachments by the task forces appointed for the evictions will be demarcated immediately and transferred to the Department.

These will include land at Chokramudi, which lies at an elevation of more than 3,000 metres, Seven Hills, Lockhart Gap and Pothamedu. Separate orders will be issued for the Mankulam forests.

The Forest Department will undertake ecorestoration and planting of the areas under the Special Afforestation and Compensatory Afforestation Programmes.

The Special Afforestation Programme aims at increasing the forest cover in the State in tune with the national forest policy, which aims for a forest cover of 33 per cent by 2012.

The Revenue Department had earlier transferred about 3,800 hectares of revenue at Kottakambur, near Munnar and Vagamon, to the Forest Department.

Of these, 3,000 hectares at Kottakambur was declared as Kurinjimala sanctuary. These measures together would increase the reserve forest area by two per cent.

The biggest addition to Kerala's reserve forests after its formation was the result of promulgation of the Kerala Private Forests (Vesting and Assignment) Ordinance in 1971.

The total area vested came to about 1,840 sq. km.

Though private parties could win back some of the vested forests through litigation, that was resumed through the Kerala Forest (Vesting and Management of Ecologically Fragile Lands) Ordinance in 2001.

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