KANNUR: Thalassery Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany has strongly criticised the draft notification of the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, accusing the forest department of acting against people’s interests. Speaking at a press meet in Kannur, Archbishop Pamplany demanded the immediate withdrawal of the proposed amendment and warned of statewide protests to protect farmers’ rights.
“There is significant opposition from the Christian community to the amendment. The forest department’s approach in drafting the law disregards the welfare of the people. It resembles a law designed for a dictatorship like North Korea rather than a democratic nation. We question whether this is governance by democracy or bureaucracy.”
The archbishop expressed outrage at the draft notification. “The forest minister must answer whether he had even read the draft. It empowers officials to ride roughshod over farmers’ rights, and such a draconian measure cannot be tolerated,” he said.