Kerala govt blinks, shelves vexed Forest Amendment Bill

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan clarified on Wednesday that the government would not pursue any amendment that could cause hardship to the public.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Updated on
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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Facing criticism from various quarters, including its allies as well as the Syro-Malabar Church, the state government has decided to drop the Kerala Forest (Amendment) Bill 2024 following concerns that it would grant excessive powers to forest officials.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan clarified on Wednesday that the government would not pursue any amendment that could cause hardship to the public.

The reversal comes after the draft amendment, which was made public, sparked protests from farmers in the high ranges. The decision also gains significance as it comes ahead of the local body elections this year.

“Several concerns have been raised about the proposed amendment. The government is making it clear that it will not move forward with the amendment without addressing the concerns,” Pinarayi told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.

He said the government was carefully considering the possibility of misuse of powers in any department.

The Church as well as the Kerala Independent Farmers’ Association (KIFA) welcomed the decision.

“We welcome the CM’s intervention to withdraw the Bill considering the concerns raised by the Church, various community organisations and the public. We urge the CM to ensure the safety of people living in forest fringe areas by initiating steps to restrict wild animals within the forest territory,” said Mar Joseph Pamplany, Thalassery Archbishop and vicar to the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church.

Alex Ozhukayil, KIFA chairman, too hailed the decision and stressed any amendment should be implemented only after considering the opinions of farmers living in forest areas.

“We know it is a step to appease farmers as elections are approaching,” he said.

Meanwhile, the CM reiterated that any law should serve the public’s best interests, taking into account factors such as the state’s population density, geography, and lifestyles.

CM urges Centre to recognise state’s ‘unique challenges’

At the same time, the CM stressed that efforts for nature conservation must not be compromised.

“Safety of people from wild animal attacks must be ensured. At the same time, forest resources should not be exploited unjustly,” Pinarayi said.

He also voiced concern over the loss of human and animal lives in wild animal attacks and assured that the government was considering a permanent solution.

Though the state government has repeatedly sought permission to classify wild boars, listed in Schedule II of the central Act, as vermin to be controlled by any means, the Union government has consistently denied these requests.

Pinarayi urged the Centre to recognise the unique challenges faced by Kerala and take appropriate action. He also called on the state’s MPs to push for reforms in this regard.

Addl powers bone of contention

  • Amendment to Kerala Forest Act, 1961, began in 2013 during UDF rule

  • Proposes new set of forest offences

  • Provisions of additional powers to forest officers to deal with the accused

  • Provisions include penalties for stopping vehicle inside forest, entering forest

  • The stated objective is to prevent dumping of waste materials in forest areas

  • Wider powers would impact people living along forest fringes

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