Sunday, Apr 28, 2002
Sunday, Apr 28, 2002 |
| Southern States | ||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Southern States
-
Kerala
By Our Staff Reporter
Talking to presspersons at Charalkunnu near Kozhencherry today, Mr. Sudhakaran said the eviction would be completed after a thorough perusal of the title deeds which the encroachers claimed to have obtained from revenue authorities. Mr. Sudhakaran said he does not think that the documents reportedly obtained by the encroachers have any legal validity in the backdrop of the Supreme Court orders and the provisions in the Central Forest Conservation Act. He said the Additional Chief Secretary, N. Chandrashekharan Nair, and the Revenue Secretary, Sajan Peter, would visit Mathikettan on Monday. Mr. Sudhakaran said there is every reason to suspect the intentions of the Adivasi leader, C.K. Janu, in criticising the Government decision to remove the former Idukki Collector, T. J. Mathew, who had allegedly abetted the illegal encroachments. The Government had decided to shift the Collector as he was found prima facie guilty of encouraging the encroachment. ``Why Ms Janu and the Adivasi Gotra Sabha are so particular that the Government should allot forest land only to them?'' he asked. He said the distribution of vested forest land to the tribals should be made only after allotting the available Revenue and other vested lands to them. Mr. Sudhakaran said he personally felt that the dual control on the Mathikettan Shola by the Forest and the Revenue Departments has been posing problems in the conservation of the forests. He felt that such dual control should go. The Minister said the existing laws were enough to effectively contain the non-forest activities in the forests. He said that tribals would be recruited to the newly constituted Forest Rapid Action Force and they would be given modern training.
Janu warns against eviction
Our Staff Reporter writes from Kochi:
Meanwhile, the president of the Adivasi-Dalit Action Council, C.K. Janu, told presspersons in Kochi that the Mathikettan issue has grown to threaten the rehabilitation contract reached between the Government and the Adivasis of the State. If the Government goes ahead with the plan to evict all Adivasi families from Mathikettan, it would amount to the breach of contract signed between the Adivasis and the Government. She demanded that the entire Forest Department be disbanded and the controversial Mathikettan rainforest be brought under people's management. The Adivasi leader lashed out at the Forest Minister, K. Sudhakaran, for failing to use the powers given by the Central forest laws at Mathikettan. The Government should institute an inquiry into the encroachment after removing the Revenue Minister, K.M. Mani, and the Forest Minister from their posts, Ms. Janu said. The role of the Cooperation Minister, M.V. Raghavan, should also be investigated, she said. The controversy whether Mathikettan belongs to the Revenue Department or the Forest Department is meaningless, she said. However, the way the Forest Department has been treating the Central forest law that the forest land, wherever it is, belongs to it has plunged the department into corruption, she said. Ms. Janu said the failure of the Government to take action against the tainted forest officials was proof enough for the nexus between Mr. Sudhakaran and the forest mafia. According to her, the Minister's statement that those who encroached the land after 1977 would be evicted was aimed at protecting the `big shots' who illegally took massive possessions of forest land.
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | Home |
Copyright © 2002, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|