The Hindu : Front Page : Mangrove theme park closed following Central order

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Tuesday, Jul 20, 2010
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Mangrove theme park closed following Central order

Special Correspondent

Photo: S.K. Mohan

Caught In a row:The mangrove theme park near Valapattanam in Kannur district after its gates were closed on Monday. —

KANNUR: The Pappinisseri Eco-Tourism Society closed down its mangrove theme park on the northern bank of the Valapattanam river on Monday after it was served a copy of the order of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests by the State Coastal Zone Management Authority.

Kannur tahsildar P. Pavithran handed over the order to society secretary P.V. Rakesh Gopal at 4.30 p.m. The park authorities then closed the gates of the park. The order was served on the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-controlled society by the district administration following Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan's statement in the Assembly on Monday that the authority had already asked the District Collector to take steps to stop the functioning of the park.

The controversial theme park had drawn criticism from environmental activists and the United Democratic Front that it was established in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules. It was opened on April 4 last. The park, set up on a 12-acre mangrove plot, has been a thorny issue since then.

UDF walkout

Special Correspondent adds from Thiruvananthapuram: Earlier in the day, the Opposition UDF staged a walkout in the Assembly accusing the government of having remained a silent spectator as the society established the park in violation of the CRZ norms. The Opposition mounted a scathing attack on the government marshalling evidence from the administration's own submissions before the Kerala High Court in a related case and said that despite being aware of the norm violations, the government had done nothing to stop it.

Leading the walkout, Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy wondered how the government could be lenient when it came to the park and very strict when it came to building hutments for fishermen on the tidal zone.

Responding to the Opposition's notice for adjournment of the proceedings, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests had instructed the State government to order stoppage of the construction work at the theme park. The government had constituted an expert committee to study the issue. The committee would visit the park in a day or two and once its report was received, the government would take appropriate action and apprise the Centre of it. The government had already instructed the Kannur Collector to order stoppage of the work, he said.

Seeking leave for the adjournment motion, K.C. Joseph (Congress) pointed out that there were as many as 12 rare mangrove species in the area and that construction work was going on in gross violation of all the relevant CRZ norms.

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