The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Proposal to extend lease of Nelliampathy estate

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 31, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Proposal to extend lease of Nelliampathy estate

P. Venugopal

Chief Minister examining the file and other issues

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A file proposing lease extension for a 140-hectare forest estate at Nelliampathy in Palakkad district is before the Chief Minister for being placed in the Cabinet for discussion and decision.

The lease period for this forest estate, called the Thuthampara estate, legally enjoying "reserve forest" status, is due to end on July 6. It borders the Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary on the north, south and east and the Rosary forest estate on the west.

The Rosary estate had been with a private party on lease until recently and the Government resumed it upon the expiry of lease after a long legal battle.

This estate, which too enjoyed "reserve forest" status, is now under the supervision and protection of the Forest Department. Thus, protected forests abounding with wildlife bound the Thuthampara estate.

Wild animals sighted

To quote from the proposal before the Chief Minister, "since the estate is situated adjacent to Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary... wild gaur, wild boar, sambar deer, elephant [and] bear are very often sighted. Since power fencing is erected along the boundaries of the estate, entrance of wildlife into the estate is restricted to certain extent."

The proposal further notes, "wildlife has learnt to live with the present situation."

Pushing the case for extending the lease period for the private party holding this estate, the file argues, "This estate is one of the well managed leased out estates in Nelliampathy area." "The organic farming practised by the estate management" is appreciated by several agencies.

OR cases

Elsewhere in the proposal, there is reference about certain "offence report cases" (OR cases) booked against the estate management in recent years.

To quote, "department has booked nine OR cases against the lessee for violating the lease conditions such as indiscriminate felling of trees and heavy shade lopping and pruning during 1995-96 period.

All these cases were charged before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Alathur. But the lessee has come forward to compound all the cases by remitting the fee imposed by the department."

According to a top official, the Chief Minister is examining whether the arguments put forward in the file are contradictory.

Key issue

Another key issue being examined is whether extending the lease period for this forest estate will affect the fate of certain other forest estates such as the Rosary, Beatrice and Cliff View estates in the same region, which the Government has recovered from private lessees after legal battles.

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