The Hindu : 'Temporary appointments have political affiliations'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 05, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

'Temporary appointments have political affiliations'

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM JULY 4. The Forest Minister, K. Sudhakaran, admitted in the Assembly on Thursday that the appointment of watchers on daily wages in his department was being made in a partisan manner.

Replying to a debate on the demand for grants for Forest, the Minister said that watchers were being selected for temporary appointments on the basis of their political affiliations.

Mr. Sudhakaran said that there was nothing unusual in the change of watchers with a change in Government. ``There is nothing to hide. Can CPI(M) men be appointed as watchers when the UDF is in power,'' he asked. He recalled that LDF men had been appointed in the State Audio Visual and Reprographic Centre during LDF rule on political considerations.

The Minister said that a consolidated law would be brought for forest protection as the existing laws conflicted. The Cardamom Rules had provisions that provided for regularisation of encroachment. The Central Forest (Conservation) Act provided only for taking of action against forest officials who fail to protect them. There was also no clear provision as to who should take action. Hence, States found it difficult to act under that law.

He said that action had been taken against forest officials who failed to prevent encroachments at Mathikettan and Pooyamkutty. The Government was determined to take action whoever had encroached upon forests. All post-1977 encroachments would be evicted. If anyone tried to prevent the eviction by using people's power, that would be resisted by mobilising the same power against it.

He said that encroachments at Mathikettan were the handiwork of a mafia from outside the area. No farmer had come forward with any document supporting claim on the land at Mathikettan. Though there was 5,900 acres of forest at Mathikettan, now only 1,000 acres remained.

The encroachment in Pooyamkutty differed from the mafia operation at Mathikettan in that former was by tribals. Some tribals were in possession of as much as 35 acres of land. A high level team headed by a Conservator Forest was now touring the area to find out the details including who were behind the encroachments.

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