PATHANAMTHITTA: Forest Minister K Raju has said the government will protect Ponthanpuzha as a reserve forest at all costs. Announcing this at a function after meeting the forest settlers at Ponthanpuzha on Sunday, the minister said the government has filed a review petition in the Kerala High Court against its verdict favouring private owners.
The government will protect the interests of the 900-odd families spread over about 300 acres in Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts, Raju said.
The settlers of the forest land, who continued to stay there before the cut-off date of 1977 will be given ownership rights and title deeds, he said.
The minister said the plight of the settlers of Ponthanpuzha forest will be taken up at the next Cabinet meeting, with a detailed briefing to the Chief Minister.
Ruling out foul play by the Forest Department in the case, the Minister said the department had done its best and would continue to do so to protect the reserve forest and wildlife.
Raju said the government would initiate measures to implement the modalities of accessing the private forests under the purview of the government on the basis of the 1971 Act.
The government would look into the declaration of Ponthanpuzha forest as an ecologically-fragile land so that special provision would be adopted to protect the Ponthanpuzha forest, he said.
Meanwhile, environmentalist Boby Jacob expressed doubts over the outcome of the promises made by Raju. The 900-odd families living in the Ponthanpuzha forests who have stayed there for last 100 years were denied any ownership documents or any kind of certificates connected with the land, Bobby said.