THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Ponthanpuzha reserve forests row rocked the Assembly on Tuesday even as the restive CPI legislators were on their legs to defend their colleague Forests minister K Raju when the rest of the ruling benches were unmoved.
Kerala Congress supremo and former minister KM Mani made sharp political hits at the CPI. The UDF MLAs and the lone BJP member walked out alleging collusion of the government with the land mafia. The Forests Minister claimed that not even an inch of forest land in the Ponthanpuzha reserve will be surrendered but fumbled for answers on why the government pleader had submitted in the High Court that the area is only a ‘bushy land’ hiding the fact of existent thick forests covering the fragile area.
The zero hour witnessed a wild chase by a combined Opposition on the issue.
The adjournment motion notice evoked much interest as K M Mani himself had decided to keep the CPI minister on the boil, as the ongoing spat between state secretary Kanam Rajendran and the KC(M) leadership provided the background. There was hardly any support for the Forests Minister from the CPM on the floor. However, neither the Opposition nor the KC(M) made specific corruption charges against the minister or the CPI state leadership in the House, unlike aired outside recently.
The minister asserted that none of the settlers in the list of 416 holders living within the Ponthanpuzha reserve will be evicted. “All inhabitants are pre-January 1, 1972 occupants. The government stand is to issue titledeeds for them,” said Raju, also asking Mani why he hadn’t issued deeds for them when in power instead of giving possession certificates only.
Leading the walkout, Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala said, “Mr Forest Minister, you’ve completely failed in protecting the forests of Kerala. You’ve taken the matter very lightly.”
He gave the historical as well as the environmental value of the 6,000-acre Ponthanpuzha forest reserve. The area is a lifeline for west-flowing Manimala and Pampa rivers and falls in an eco-sensitive zone. Since many decades there have been efforts to grab the forest land in the name of ‘chembu pattayams’ granted during the days of the Raj. The late Travancore Diwan Madhav Rao himself had issued orders way back in 1905, notifying the area as vested forests.