CHENNAI:The State Environment and Forest department has notified a whopping 4,858 acres in Villupuram and Dindigul districts as reserve forests. A majority of these lands are part of vast spans of the Kalrayan Hills in Eastern Ghats. An official notification was published in the gazette on August 29.
The department has passed the notification exercising its powers conferred under Section 16 of the Tamil Nadu Forest Act, 1882 and the notification will come into force from March. 2019. Forest officials told Express that more lands are scheduled to be declared as reserve forest, especially in Kalrayan Hills. A total of 1,648.67 hectares (4,072 acres) have been declared as reserve forest in Malliyampadi and Vazhapadi villages in Chinna Salem of Villupuram alone. Another 241.745 hectares (600 acres) fall under Alanur and Serapattu in Keeripuli forest block in Sankarapuram taluk, previously known as Kallakurichi. All these lands form part of isolated mountain chain called Kalrayan Hills.
Confirming the development, Villupuram district forest officer Abhishek Tomar told Express that by virtue of this notification, the lands will enjoy highest protection. To a query, he said these are not completely revenue lands. “Most of these lands are reserve lands earlier notified under the Tamil Nadu Forest Act, 1882. Under the Act, we have reserved land and unreserved land. We try to gradually convert reserved land into reserve forest for better protection,” Tomar said.
Though Kalrayan Hills doesn’t have larger mammals, it is an important forest ecosystem. There is a presence of endangered black buck, barking deer and sloth bear. Jungle cats, jackal, spotted deer, mouse deer, porcupine and pythons are commonly seen animals. Birds such as grey jungle fowl, grey partridge, pigeons, and red turtle doves are also spotted. Sambar in a few numbers and spotted deer are seen at Tagarai, Puttai, Parigam, Rengappanur and Phanjipattu. The open scrub jungles provide an avian habitat for quails, jungle fowl and partridges.
The inhabitants of Kalrayan Hills also hold a fairly good traditional knowledge of resources. The knowledgeable communities, especially hill tribes, are the primary group who possess a broad knowledge of plants and the use of natural resources. Their traditional knowledge is proved as invaluable and has contributed to formulation of traditional remedies for diseases such as gastric, dermal, dental, gynaecological, fever and malaria, poisonous bites, etc.
The department has also notified 50.07 hectares in the Sirangattupatti forest block in Natham taluk, 16.38 hectares in Sethur forest and 9.14 hectares in Adukkum forest block in Kodaikanal in Dindigul as reserve forest.