Centre seeks report on ‘illegal’ tree felling in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday sought a report into the illegal felling of trees worth crores of rupees in the ecologically sensitive Wayanad and other districts in Kerala last year under the cover of a state government order.

The Kerala forest department said the trees were felled in the revenue land given to farmers under the Kerala Land Assignment Act. An amendment was introduced last October in the Kerala Forest (Prohibition of Felling Trees Standing or Temporarily or Permanently Assigned) Rules, 1995, that permitted landowners to cut all reserved trees other than sandal. The order was heavily criticised by many green activists and district collectors and was withdrawn in February. The damage, however, was already done. “It was outright loot. The weird order was issued with the knowledge of the political leadership and the role of two ministers in the last government should be probed,” said minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan, who comes from Kerala, after briefing Javadekar. He did not name the two ministers.

The ruling CPI(M) shot back and said the minister was raking up the tree felling case to divert attention from the highway heist case in which allegations of hawala connections were levelled against the Kerala BJP leadership and which led to the filing of a case against BJP state president K Surendran. “It is an attempt to divert attention,” said CPI (M) leader A Anandan.

Forest and revenue officials have seized timber worth ₹15 crore so far, but conservationists say trees worth ₹500 crore were cut in four districts.