CHENNAI: It\u2019s been only four years since its inauguration, but the 13-storey Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) residential TT Block tenements in Vyasarpadi has developed deep cracks, exposing iron reinforcement bars in the walls, staircases and ceilings. The residents are complaining of persistent water seepage through the walls even during summer and have raised concerns over the building\u2019s structural safety.
Work on the building, comprising 468 housing units at `63.80 crore, began during the AIADMK regime, and it was inaugurated in June 2022. Around 2,000 people currently reside in the building. The residents alleged despite being newly built, the facility lacks several basic amenities, including a park or playground, even though a large vacant space is available on the premises.
Speaking to TNIE, a resident, requesting anonymity, said, \u201CFor the past few months, water has been seeping through the walls and ceilings inside our homes even when there is no rain. Even near the lifts, the wall is constantly wet due to seepage. TNUHDB contractors have carried out repair works multiple times, but they do not last beyond three months.\u201D
When TNIE visited the tenement, it found extensive signs of water seepage on the fourth floor near the lift, where portions of the concrete has deteriorated. Water stains were visible on the walls and the floor outside several units and inside many homes, patches repaired by contractors show fresh signs of seepage. At several locations, the concrete has come off the walls, especially near staircases, exposing rusted iron reinforcement bars, raising safety concerns.
"}],"card-updated-at":1784858631127,"content-version-id":"0f03464e-db45-40e7-8854-909494559e8c","card-added-at":1784843739941,"status":"draft","id":"f7a86663-d17a-4756-b04f-788bc68ad669","content-id":"f7a86663-d17a-4756-b04f-788bc68ad669","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"TNUHDB flat shows serious structural defects in four years; residents blame poor construction quality","message":null,"image":{"key":"newindianexpress/2026-07-24/zvlzxf8u/WhatsApp-Image-2026-07-24-at-9.41.59-AM.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"Photo | Martin louis","alt-text":null,"caption":"The signs of structural damage are evident at the Urban Habitat Development Board housing units in Vyasarpadi ","metadata":{"width":1280,"height":960,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":92144,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-07-24-at-9.41.59-AM.jpeg"}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/fdd52b49-165f-4efa-8a95-8f247a753d87/element/d78d4316-7baa-4be6-8d48-e21a4ebaf905","type":"text","family-id":"1d3a85d4-c42e-48e5-85ee-cacc562bf73f","title":"","id":"d78d4316-7baa-4be6-8d48-e21a4ebaf905","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The residents also pointed to the absence of protective grills on open balconies. \u201CWe are worried about residents accidentally slipping and falling from the open balconies, especially at night,\u201D a resident said.
\u201CWe are afraid to use the staircases due to cracks. We are paying for these houses, they were not given free. Why should we continue to endure such conditions?\u201D KP Anand, another resident, asked.
He also alleged the lifts frequently remain non-functional and the absence of recreational facilities has left children with little to do. \u201CWith no playground or park on the premises, some youngsters have fallen prey to alcohol and substance abuse.
The water tank on the terrace, meant for storing water for fire emergencies, is lying empty and has become a shelter for anti-social elements. We have found liquor bottles, pillows, sarees, and bedsheets inside, as though it has become a makeshift home,\u201D he said.
\u201CEvery night, groups of men gather on the staircases, smoke, and loiter there. The officials should immediately take steps on the matter and ensure the safety of residents,\u201D a woman resident said.
A senior TNUHDB official told TNIE the issues had come to their notice and assured the building would be inspected for necessary action. \u201CPreliminary feedback from the staff said some instances of water seepage could be linked to alterations carried out by residents inside their housing units,\u201D the official said.
He added similar issues had been reported in several tenements across Chennai and that TNUHDB has already initiated refurbishment works. \u201CThe chief minister has instructed us to ensure quality in both refurbishment and new construction of tenement buildings, which will be the focus predominantly,\u201D the official said. On recreational facilities, the official said the vacant spaces on the premises would be utilised for developing a play area.
"},{"id":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","description":"","title":"","subtype":null,"type":"text","text":"","metadata":{"promotional-message":true}}],"card-updated-at":1784858631127,"content-version-id":"7f742080-1e3d-46fe-bff6-a9a3774f07fb","card-added-at":1784843739941,"status":"draft","id":"3071babc-ca5b-4a90-8544-103eb651c5f0","content-id":"3071babc-ca5b-4a90-8544-103eb651c5f0","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"TNUHDB flat shows serious structural defects in four years; residents blame poor construction quality","message":null,"image":{"key":"newindianexpress/2026-07-24/zvlzxf8u/WhatsApp-Image-2026-07-24-at-9.41.59-AM.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"Photo | Martin louis","alt-text":null,"caption":"The signs of structural damage are evident at the Urban Habitat Development Board housing units in Vyasarpadi ","metadata":{"width":1280,"height":960,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":92144,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-07-24-at-9.41.59-AM.jpeg"}}},"attributes":{}}}],"url":"https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2026/Jul/24/tnuhdb-flat-shows-serious-structural-defects-in-four-years-residents-blame-poor-construction-quality","story-version-id":"1a068dfa-ba21-4895-95f5-63a91171bc1f","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1784867614194,"author-id":1873509,"owner-id":1897610,"linked-story-ids":[],"access":null,"promotional-message":"","asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1784858633188,"hero-image-caption":"The signs of structural damage are evident at the Urban Habitat Development Board housing units in Vyasarpadi ","version":5,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1784867610520,"authors":[{"slug":"praveena-s-a","social":{},"name":"Praveena S A","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":1873509,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Sunder M"},{"updated-at":1784170381158,"seo":{"claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":1897610,"author-name":"Express News Service","tags":[{"id":7050348,"name":"Pinarayi Vijayan","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"pinarayi-vijayan","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":7070213,"name":"VD Satheesan","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"vd-satheesan","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":15383186,"name":"MSC-Adani","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"msc-adani","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Pinarayi writes to Kerala CM Satheesan to ensure ownership of Vizhinjam port","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"abe4a299-aed8-4795-b249-09751514fa6f","slug":"cities/thiruvananthapuram/2026/Jul/16/pinarayi-writes-to-kerala-cm-satheesan-to-ensure-ownership-of-vizhinjam-port","last-published-at":1784170382682,"public-identifier":null,"subheadline":"Pinarayi Vijayan said that the chief minister should clarify the steps taken to prevent the proposed share transfer that is now being done without the government\u2019s approval. ","alternative":{},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"thiruvananthapuram","name":"Thiruvananthapuram","section-url":"https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram","id":66228,"parent-id":66221,"display-name":"Thiruvananthapuram","collection":{"slug":"thiruvananthapuram-cities","name":"Thiruvananthapuram ","id":146463},"data":null}],"read-time":1,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1784149253751,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Sunder M","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":5591,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1200,"file-size":433422,"file-name":"New-Project-2026-03-31T071103.141.jpg","height":650},"comments":null,"word-count":264,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1784170382682,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"(File Photo | Express)","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"abe4a299-aed8-4795-b249-09751514fa6f","hero-image-s3-key":"newindianexpress/2026-03-31/ffk0fdgi/New-Project-2026-03-31T071103.141.jpg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/abe4a299-aed8-4795-b249-09751514fa6f/element/c1622dcb-82ee-4071-8f8b-a6e6b0ceb6e5","type":"text","family-id":"e498d5a7-fb9a-4298-8de5-e32c826bb8df","title":"","id":"c1622dcb-82ee-4071-8f8b-a6e6b0ceb6e5","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: MetropolitanAs political slugfest continues over the proposed MSC-Adani share transfer, Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan has written to Chief Minister V D Satheesan alleging that the government\u2019s position in the matter was mysterious. In his letter, Pinarayi termed the CM\u2019s arguments in the matter baseless.
\u201CInstead of responding with facts to serious concerns over share transfer, the chief minister is trying to raise baseless allegations. He should not forget that as per the concessionaire agreement only the maintenance and running of the project lies with the Adani Group, while the ownership of the port rests completely with the state government.
The CM is trying to create a smokescreen saying that the government was not part of the concessionaire company. He should categorically declare that the government would protect the port without allowing it to go to the corporates,\u201D said Pinarayi.
The Leader of Opposition also criticised Satheesan for linking the share transfer with the Vizhinjam conclave held during the previous government\u2019s tenure. \u201CNo discussions over the share transfer were held during the LDF government\u2019s time. While this remains the fact, spreading rumours and speculations are unbecoming of a chief minister,\u201D said Pinarayi.
He pointed out that as per the agreement, there are legal impediments for company with similar holdings to invest in Vizhinjam. \u201CThe previous Left government had taken some cautious steps to ensure the same.
The chief minister should clarify steps taken to prevent the proposed share transfer that is now being done without the government\u2019s approval. As per the agreement, clearance can be given after both national security and public interest,\u201D said Pinarayi.
"},{"id":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","description":"","title":"","subtype":null,"type":"text","text":"","metadata":{"promotional-message":true}}],"card-updated-at":1784170374010,"content-version-id":"b9db6381-08c7-45d3-8fb4-d15211844620","card-added-at":1784149253756,"status":"draft","id":"25032de4-0558-480c-8da0-8856416a781d","content-id":"25032de4-0558-480c-8da0-8856416a781d","version":6,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Pinarayi writes to Kerala CM Satheesan to ensure ownership of Vizhinjam port","message":null,"image":{"key":"newindianexpress/2026-03-31/ffk0fdgi/New-Project-2026-03-31T071103.141.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"(File Photo | Express)","alt-text":null,"caption":"Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan (L) and Kerala CM VD Satheesan.","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1200,"file-size":433422,"file-name":"New-Project-2026-03-31T071103.141.jpg","height":650}}},"attributes":{}}}],"url":"https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2026/Jul/16/pinarayi-writes-to-kerala-cm-satheesan-to-ensure-ownership-of-vizhinjam-port","story-version-id":"242df248-c19b-43ea-9024-0077d4d0421c","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1784170383124,"author-id":1897566,"owner-id":1897610,"linked-story-ids":[],"access":null,"promotional-message":"","asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1784170382682,"hero-image-caption":"Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan (L) and Kerala CM VD Satheesan.","version":6,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1784170373995,"authors":[{"slug":"express-news-service","social":{},"name":"Express News Service","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":1897566,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Sunder M"},{"updated-at":1782876366118,"seo":{"claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":1897605,"author-name":"Express News Service","tags":[{"id":7050348,"name":"Pinarayi Vijayan","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"pinarayi-vijayan","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":7056147,"name":"Kerala assembly","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"kerala-assembly","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":7778948,"name":"Shibu Baby John","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"shibu-baby-john","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Kerala Assembly thrown into uproar over \u2018ability\u2019 question","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"38a9c960-4323-42e2-9455-2d4314de8e10","slug":"states/kerala/2026/Jul/01/kerala-assembly-thrown-into-uproar-over-ability-question","last-published-at":1782876367365,"public-identifier":null,"subheadline":"Chief Minister V D Satheesan then requested the speaker to expunge Pinarayi\u2019s remarks.","alternative":{},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"kerala","name":"Kerala","section-url":"https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala","id":66227,"parent-id":66217,"display-name":"Kerala","collection":{"slug":"kerala-states","name":"Kerala ","id":146462},"data":null}],"read-time":2,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1782854042336,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Rathnam V","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":5591,"hero-image-metadata":{"original-url":"https://d3lzcn6mbbadaf.cloudfront.net/media/details/ANI-20240602114330.jpg","width":600,"height":338,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":27445,"focus-point":null},"comments":null,"word-count":363,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1782876367365,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"(File photo | Express)","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"38a9c960-4323-42e2-9455-2d4314de8e10","hero-image-s3-key":"newindianexpress/2026-07-01/lwd8sijv/ANI_20240602114330.jpg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/38a9c960-4323-42e2-9455-2d4314de8e10/element/b8464a47-946e-4a62-a084-faae1d40472d","type":"text","family-id":"325dae84-8348-4d5d-be7f-1a426332672a","title":"","id":"b8464a47-946e-4a62-a084-faae1d40472d","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The assembly plunged into turmoil when Forest Minister Shibu Baby John responded to the allegations levelled against him by the opposition. Earlier, while the house discussed the notice on adjournment motion, Shibu had intervened in the Fisheries Minister\u2019s address, with the latter\u2019s permission, which drew criticism from Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan.
\u201CIt appears that Shibu\u2019s intervention was necessitated because the fisheries minister lacks the ability to respond to questions in the house,\u201D Pinarayi said. Chief Minister V D Satheesan then requested the speaker to expunge Pinarayi\u2019s remarks.
Shibu, however, chose to reply to the LoP during his reply to the discussion on demand for grants. He said there were six incidents during the tenure of the second Pinarayi Vijayan government where ministers intervened in their colleagues\u2019 addresses. \u201COn 30.06.2022, Forest Minister A K Saseendran intervened during the chief minister\u2019s address. I wonder whether the then CM lacked in ability,\u201D he said. Afterwards, while speaking about the issue of wildlife attacks, Shibu said the opposition leader criticised him on the 17th day as a minister. \u201CAnother CPM leader abused me by describing me as \u201Ca random fellow from the coast\u2019 and \u201Cignorant fellow.\u201D I didn\u2019t reply to them,\u201D he said.
The Opposition, however, protested against Shibu\u2019s comment. First, it was the turn of senior leader K N Balagopal. \u201CSuch a thing didn\u2019t happen. He can\u2019t just say that and walk away. We cannot allow the house to be used for political campaigning,\u201D he said.
"}],"card-updated-at":1782854128544,"content-version-id":"7e6f1644-a6cf-49d2-a438-8b3d278ba733","card-added-at":1782854042345,"status":"draft","id":"b07c2873-6362-4911-8934-6214eece8069","content-id":"b07c2873-6362-4911-8934-6214eece8069","version":2,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Kerala Assembly thrown into uproar over \u2018ability\u2019 question","message":null,"image":{"key":"newindianexpress/2026-07-01/lwd8sijv/ANI_20240602114330.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"(File photo | Express)","alt-text":null,"caption":" Forest Minister Shibu Baby John ","metadata":{"original-url":"https://d3lzcn6mbbadaf.cloudfront.net/media/details/ANI-20240602114330.jpg","width":600,"height":338,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":27445,"focus-point":null}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/38a9c960-4323-42e2-9455-2d4314de8e10/element/140d1895-bdb6-4bfb-8b95-df13ecadf528","type":"text","family-id":"5a0beb32-6e30-47d9-839f-1794a4e66f8c","title":"","id":"140d1895-bdb6-4bfb-8b95-df13ecadf528","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"LoP Pinarayi Vijayan followed. He said it was quite a departure from the House\u2019s tradition. \u201CWe doubt some are tasked to abuse others. We will not cooperate,\u201D he said along with a boycott announcement.
In his further address, Shibu alleged lapses on the part of the previous government that aggravated wildlife attacks. He said his government would launch an insurance-based scheme for providing compensation in wildlife attack incidents.
Sunset cruise in Vembanad
Transport Minister C P John said the Kerala State Water Transport Department will launch a sunset boat cruise in Vembanad lake. A passenger boat service will be started between Veli and Anchuthengu in Thiruvananthapuram. Cargo boat services will be started linking Kochi, Kottayam and Alappuzha. New boats will be bought for this.
"},{"id":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","description":"","title":"","subtype":null,"type":"text","text":"","metadata":{"promotional-message":true}}],"card-updated-at":1782854128544,"content-version-id":"8c207b75-c70a-4c20-ad39-dccea5568a8e","card-added-at":1782854042345,"status":"draft","id":"dcc2c31a-3f20-47e9-a90a-aa11b4cd06b5","content-id":"dcc2c31a-3f20-47e9-a90a-aa11b4cd06b5","version":2,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Kerala Assembly thrown into uproar over \u2018ability\u2019 question","message":null,"image":{"key":"newindianexpress/2026-07-01/lwd8sijv/ANI_20240602114330.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"(File photo | Express)","alt-text":null,"caption":" Forest Minister Shibu Baby John ","metadata":{"original-url":"https://d3lzcn6mbbadaf.cloudfront.net/media/details/ANI-20240602114330.jpg","width":600,"height":338,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":27445,"focus-point":null}}},"attributes":{}}}],"url":"https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2026/Jul/01/kerala-assembly-thrown-into-uproar-over-ability-question","story-version-id":"2d82920f-64b2-42fc-992e-9afc374a8d87","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1782876367611,"author-id":1897566,"owner-id":1897605,"linked-story-ids":[],"access":null,"promotional-message":"","asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1782876367365,"hero-image-caption":" Forest Minister Shibu Baby John ","version":8,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1782876365643,"authors":[{"slug":"express-news-service","social":{},"name":"Express News Service","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":1897566,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Rathnam V"},{"updated-at":1782874885482,"seo":{"claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":1897605,"author-name":"Biju E Paul","tags":[{"id":7150308,"name":"forest cover","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"forest-cover","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Kerala\u2019s forest cover up 27 per cent, but elephant count sees sharp drop","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"2555ec26-267b-4ea0-8789-65f883f03e71","slug":"states/kerala/2026/Jul/01/keralas-forest-cover-up-27-per-cent-but-elephant-count-sees-sharp-drop","last-published-at":1782874887186,"public-identifier":null,"subheadline":"Despite the significant increase in forest cover, the state\u2019s wild elephant population has declined sharply. ","alternative":{},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"kerala","name":"Kerala","section-url":"https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala","id":66227,"parent-id":66217,"display-name":"Kerala","collection":{"slug":"kerala-states","name":"Kerala ","id":146462},"data":null}],"read-time":2,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1782855001941,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Rathnam V","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":5591,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1600,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":670827,"file-name":"State\u2019s-forest-cover.jpg","focus-point":null},"comments":null,"word-count":464,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1782874887186,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"(Photo | Express)","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"2555ec26-267b-4ea0-8789-65f883f03e71","hero-image-s3-key":"newindianexpress/2026-07-01/jzgcd7a6/State\u2019s-forest-cover.jpg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/2555ec26-267b-4ea0-8789-65f883f03e71/element/8c5cfe72-072f-4dbb-afa4-a351cc68f3e5","type":"text","family-id":"c0092690-3e9d-46da-9a81-2e1b9ccd3cde","title":"","id":"8c5cfe72-072f-4dbb-afa4-a351cc68f3e5","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"ALAPPUZHA: Kerala\u2019s total forest cover increased by nearly 27% over ten years, according to the forest department, from 17,300 sqkm in 2014 to 22,059.36 sqkm in 2024. This translates to a 4,759.36 sqkm expansion.
Over the same period, the forest area under the administrative jurisdiction of the department enlarged 226.78 sqkm to 11,536.25 sqkm from 11,309.47 sqkm, the recent forest statistics report revealed.
Despite the significant increase in forest cover, the state\u2019s wild elephant population has declined sharply. The elephant census recorded 6,068 pachyderms in 2007, but the number dropped to 2,386 in the 2023 count. The enumeration was conducted using the dung-count method with the support of the Periyar Tiger Foundation, the Parambikulam Tiger Foundation and the Kerala Forest Research Institute.
By contrast, the state witnessed a substantial rise in its tiger population. The big cat\u2019s numbers increased from 71 in 2007 to 213 in 2022, reflecting the success of conservation measures in protected habitats. On the other hand, the population of Nilgiri tahr, an endemic mountain ungulate, inched down. The species\u2019 population stood at 894 in 2014, but fell to 803 in 2023, according to the survey.
The forest cover -- which is classified as land that has a tree-canopy density of 10% and above and has a minimum area of one hectare -- in the state comprises 2,041.17 sqkm of very dense forest, 9,321.82 sqkm of moderately dense forest and 10,696.37 sqkm of open forest. Scrub accounts for 21.88 sqkm.
The state has a total geographical area of 38,863 sqkm. Of this, 2,905.94 sqkm is under tree cover. Together, the forest and tree cover -- defined as green cover -- accounts for 24,965.30 sqkm.
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Departmental land under encroachment fell from 54.98 sqkm to 49.74 sqkm.
The issue is particularly acute in Idukki, where 1,452 hectares of land remain infringed upon. Wayanad has 935 hectares of such land, followed by Palakkad (910) and Malappuram (60), the report said.
During the 2023-24 period, a total of 347 forest fire incidents were reported, which affected 499.274 hectares of forest area.
The Wild Ride
Geographical area of the state: 38,863 sqkm
Total forest area under forest dept: 11,536.25 sqkm
Total green cover in state: 24,965.30 sqkm
Dept land under encroachment: 49.74 sqkm
Revenue from forest in 2023-24: L261.04 cr
Footfall in ecotourism destinations in 2023-24: 90.93 lakh
Income from ecotourism destinations in 2023-24: L71.23 cr