KOCHI: The government ordered a vigilance inquiry against the forest officers who declared Priya Estate and Plantations at Achankovil in Kollam as Ecologically Fragile Land (EFL).
The officials had submitted an incorrect statement before the Forest Tribunal claiming that the area was forest in nature since 1996 and there were no rubber, coffee or tea plantations in the 133.05 ha of land notified as EFL on January 25, 2010. The conservator of forests claimed that the land was principally covered by naturally-grown tree species and undergrowth that qualify for the EFL zone.
Priya Estate was put on auction by the Debts Recovery Tribunal in November 2003 for recovery of Rs 2.67 crore arrears payable to Canara Bank. The auction notice said the estate has an appropriate extent of 492 acres and 15 cents together with bungalows, labour lines, a tea factory, smokehouse, factories, machinery, tea and coffee plantations along with rubber trees.
“My father-in-law had purchased the estate from Kailas Plantations in March 1985. We got information that an investor was trying to buy the property by paying just Rs 1.5 crore. So I borrowed money from friends and relatives and cleared the dues. So when the auction was cancelled, they influenced the forest department to declare the area as EFL,” said Dr K G Suresh, owner of Priya Estate.