The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : ‘No building activity at Ponmudi estate’

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 24, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

‘No building activity at Ponmudi estate’

Special Correspondent

Minister orders inquiry into construction of tourist cottages

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Forest Department has claimed that no unauthorised building activities had taken place at the Ponmudi estate in Thiruvananthapuram district recently. A case, however, had been registered this month for unauthorised construction of a road in the estate.

Forest Minister Benoy Viswom had ordered an inquiry following media reports that construction of tourist cottages were going on at the estate notified as an ecologically fragile area. The Conservator of Forests (Protection) said in his report to the Minister that no building activities had taken place in the estate recently. However, buildings had been constructed at the estate some months ago and the Forest Department had stopp ed the work in May this year.

Subsequently, a 45-metre wide road was constructed in the estate. The Kulathupuzha forest range office registered a case regarding this on October 17. The estate manager was the accused in the case. The earth-movers, used for the construction, was produced before the court, the report said.

An official release said the Forest Minister had issued strict directives to the officials that unauthorised constructions should not be permitted under any circumstances in the notified areas.

The Ponmudi estate adjoins the Merchiston estate where work on a helipad was recently undertaken with government funding. Both the estates had been notified under the Kerala Forests ((Vesting and Management of Ecologically Fragile Lands) Ordinance issued in 2000.

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