The land is protected under Kerala Preservation of Trees Act, hence only maintaining plantations and constructing houses of land owners is permitted, they say
The land is protected under Kerala Preservation of Trees Act, hence only maintaining plantations and constructing houses of land owners is permitted, they say
Environmental organisations in Wayanad have urged for a quick intervention of the district administration in the alleged tree felling and illegal construction of a check dam across a tributary of the Chaliyar river at Thollayiram Kandi, a highly ecologically sensitive area in the hill district.
Speaking to The Hindu, N. Badusha, president Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samiti, said that the construction works for the check dam was under way near a glass bridge, which had been constructed by a private resort, with excavators. Tree felling was also progressing on the same land, nearly 2,000 meters above Mean Sea Level (MSL) on the eastern side of Chembra and Vellarimala mountain slopes, Mr. Badusha added.
The land is under Section V of the Kerala Preservation of Trees Act that permits only maintaining plantations and constructing houses of land owners, Mr. Badusha added. Though all tourism activities are forbidden in the area, it has flourished with the support of the Forest and Tourism departments, and civic bodies in the area, he alleged. The area was the matrix of the landslip at Puthumala in 2019 and another one at Mundakkai in 2020.
The ecologically fragile area was demarcated by the National Centre for Earth Science Studies, the Geological Survey of India, and the District Disaster Management Authority as red zone. Hence the district administration and the Forest department should adopt appropriate steps to stop the felling of trees and the construction of the check dam, Mr. Badusha said.
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