THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Travancore Devaswom Board and the Forest Department will conduct a joint survey to identify the land owned by the TDB at Sabarimala, Pampa and Nilackal, said TDB president A Padmakumar. “The survey which will start at Pampa on February 19 is expected to put an end to the dispute between both the organisations,” he told reporters here on Thursday. According to the TDB, it owns 495.53 acres of land in all the three places. Of this, the holding at Sabarimala is 77.2 acres. The TDB had earlier approached the High Court against the Forest Department for imposing restrictions on development activities in its land.
In 2011, the High Court ordered for a joint survey which did not materialise. Recently, the advocate commissioner appointed by the HC A S P Kurup brought the issue before the court following which it ordered for completing the survey immediately. Kurup was appointed advocate commissioner for the survey as well. TDB representatives in the survey team are Devaswom Commissioner N Vasu, chief engineer (general) V Sankaran Potty, executive engineer R Ajith Kumar and Sabarimala executive officer VN Chandrasekharan.
The Forest Department representatives are Ranni divisional forest officer G M Kochukanjiram and Periyar Tiger Reserve west division officer C K Habi. The Survey Department will be represented by south zone joint director Babu Thekkan, deputy director Pathanamthitta Mohandev, Resurvey Department superintendent Manikuttan and unit officer Sabeena. Ockhi Fund The TDB handed over its first instalment to the Ockhi disaster relief fund. TDB president handed over a cheque for Rs 25,59,131 to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday