The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) had asked for a ‘detailed status report’ on the forest land held by the KSEB in June itself.
The MoEF demand last June had come on a petition filed by S Bahu of Manacaud, T’Puram, that a non-monitored transfer of forest land to the new company formed by transforming the KSEB will result in ‘’the large-scale misuse and gradual vanishing of our vital forests lands.’’
The petitioner had also pointed out that the Resident Concurrent Auditor of the Internal Audit Wing, KSEB, had reported on land encroachment in the vicinity of KSEB dams raising concerns that dam safety could be affected. Last week, after the Cabinet gave its nod for the KSEB to be changed into a company, some of the trade unions in the power utility too had raised the issue of the forest land in the possession of the KSEB.
The INTUC-led Kerala Electricity Employees Confederation had alleged sinister motives behind what it termed ‘’hasty’’ restructuring of the KSEB when writ petitions against the restructuring of the board and transfer of assets were still under the consideration of the HC.
‘’There is dispute between the Forest Dept and the KSEB regarding forest land leased out to KSEB. KSEB has also not kept lease agreements on much of the forest land under it,’’ confederation general sec Sajeev Janardanan had alleged. KSEB chairman M Sivasankar said the KSEB did not illegally hold any forest land.
‘’We have only land leased from Forest Dept. Also, other state boards have transferred land under it to the successor entity. It is not unique to Kerala,’’ Sivasankar said.