THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Government will soon introduce in the Assembly a Bill to ban sandal oil extraction in the private sector in the State, Minister for Forest Benoy Viswom has said.

Addressing a seminar on `People and Forests,' organised by his department here on Wednesday, the Minister said the State had already obtained the required clearance from the Union Government to go ahead with the legislation. Simultaneously, the Government would set up a sandal oil extraction unit in the public sector to put to use the sandalwood collected by the Forest Department from the reserve forests of Marayur in Idukki district, he said.

Mr. Viswom said the department was working on the formalities connected with declaring the forests surrounding Silent Valley National Park as its buffer zone. This was necessary to ensure the long-time viability of the national park, he said.

"The buffer zone is a firm commitment of our Government," he said. Referring to the ongoing encroachment of revenue land in Munnar and adjoining Mankulam, Mr. Viswom said the best way to check the encroachers was to bring such areas under the ambit of the forest conservation laws.

Reserve forests

The Government was seized of the need to declare as `reserve forests' such areas resumed from Kannan Devan Company and vested with the Revenue Department. He said the notification for this would be issued "within a matter of few weeks."

"If we neglect the encroachments in this region any longer, Munnar will be finished. The senseless manner in which development is going on in this area would destroy Munnar's climate. Armed with fake title deeds, encroachers are systematically taking over large tracts of land with exceptional ecological significance around this hill station. Our Government has the political will to stop it," the Minister said.

Inaugurating the seminar, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan reiterated his Government's commitment to conservation.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail