NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has impleaded Kerala and Karnataka over a media report on encroachment of over 5,000 hectares of forest land as per the revelation in the Kerala Forest Department's annual administrative report of 2021-22.
The green court was taking suo-motu cognisance of the environmental issue on the media report which revealed that of 5024.535 hectares of forest land infringed upon, a large chunk of 1998.03 hectares is in the Kottayam High Range Circle which includes the Kothamangalam, Kottayam, Munnar, Marayoor and Mankulam divisions.
The green court impleaded the states through the Principal Secretary, Environment and Forest Department Karnataka, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Kerala Forest Department and Chief Wildlife Warden, Kerala Forest Department.
Issuing notice to both the states, the NGT Chairperson Prakash Shrivastava-led bench referred it before the Southern Zonal Bench at Chennai for further proceedings on April 12.
The report also revealed that the second highest portion i.e. 1599.61 hectare of encroached forest land is in the Palakkad Eastern Circle and that the third is the Kannur Northern Circle with 1085.67 hectare under encroachment.
The least amount of encroachment -- 2.634 hectares -- of forest land in the state was in the Aralam and Wayanad wildlife divisions which come under the Palakkad Wildlife Circle.
"Since the matter relates to the Southern Zonal Bench of the Tribunal, therefore, the Original Application is transferred to the Southern Zonal Bench, Chennai for further action. Let the original record be transferred to Southern Zonal Bench," the bench also comprising Expert Members Dr. A. Senthil Vel and Dr. Afroz Ahmad said.