KOCHI: The vigilance wing of the Forest Department, which conducted an inquiry into the construction of a football ground at Vanchivayal inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Idukki district, has recommended disciplinary action against three senior forest officers.
Conservator of Forests (Inspection and Evaluation) P V Madhusoodanan who conducted the probe, has filed a report to the Additional Principal Chief conservator of Forest (Vigilance and Forest Intelligence) recommending action against Periyar East deputy director Silpa V Kumar, Project Tiger field director K R Anoop and Vallakkadavu range officer C Ajayan.
The inquiry was launched based on a petition filed by Sajimon Salim, an activist and a resident of Kumili in Idukki. According to the complainant, the football ground was constructed inside the core area of the tiger reserve, violating the PTR management plan and the Forest Conservation Act.
The investigation revealed that 0.4222 hectares of land was developed using three earth movers between December 21 and 23, 2019. Though Vanchivayal tribal colony falls in the buffer zone of the PTR, the football ground, located 150 m away from the colony is inside the core area of the PTR and is surrounded by dense forest with presence of tiger.
The deputy director informed the investigation officer that the football ground was developed by the Eco Development Committee (EDC) and no government fund was utilised for the purpose. The minutes of the EDC meeting held on November 14, 2019 revealed that the deputy director had promised help to develop the football ground using earth movers. Only 21 of the 200 members participated in the meeting.
The report said the deputy director over-acted on a request made by the tribal colony residents to develop a playground for the children.
More importantly, she accorded sanction to conduct a sevens football tournament in the ground located inside the forest for three days from December 26 to 28, 2019. Eight football teams from nearby areas participated in the tournament. Many people arrived in the forest on motor vehicles to witness the football tournament.
The Expression Tiger Reserve of the Wildlife Protection Act says that “Core or critical tiger habitat areas of national parks or sanctuaries where it has been established on the basis of scientific and objective criteria that such areas are required to be kept inviolate for the purpose of tiger conservation, without affecting the rights of Scheduled Tribes or such other forest dwellers,” the report says.The law says that the core area of tiger reserve should be conserved.
The construction of the football ground and conduct of a football tournament were in violation of the Act. The application of the user agency, the report of the range officer and the sanction of the deputy director were issued on January 14, 2020, more than two weeks after the construction of the football ground, the investigation revealed.
Meanwhile, C Sujith, a beat officer of the forest intelligence cell in Thiruvananthapuram, has complained that he was manhandled by a group of 14 people when he visited the spot on January 25 to conduct an inquiry into the allegations.
The report said the deputy director over-acted on a request made by the tribal colony residents to develop a playground for the children. More importantly, she accorded sanction to conduct a sevens football tournament in the ground located inside the forest for three days