The area under the proposed Neelakurinji sanctuary has been a bone of contention as its boundaries are yet to demarcated though a notification for the sanctuary was issued in 2006.
The Munnar Wildlife Warden, in a report to the District Collector in 2017, has stressed the need for finalising the boundaries as there was 3,200 hectares of land in Block number 58 of Kottakambur village and Block number 62 of Vattavada village in Devikulam taluk under the sanctuary, as per the notification.
In a government order in 2008, the Devikulam Subcollector was appointed settlement officer for the proposed sanctuary. As per his report, there was 247.721 hectares (Survey number 62) at Vattavada village and 1,983 hectares at Kottakambur (Survey number 58) as per a resurvey at the proposed site.
The Munnar Wildlife Warden’s report claims that the area under the proposed reserve will further fall on settling the claims of private individuals.
The report, a copy of which is with The Hindu , called for immediate measures to finalise the park boundaries for protection of Neelakurinji, which has a 12-year flowering cycle, and the flora and fauna there.
The report also said that a complaint submitted by a people’s representative from Devikulam pointed out that there were private and public institutions and cultivation, including vegetables, in addition to a large number of houses in the area proposed for the park. An inspection by the Forest Department, however, did not find any public or private institutions there. A report said there were only cultivated areas, including eucalyptus, at the site.
The warden’s report also cited the disputes between the Forest Department and private individuals over the ownership of land in the area of the proposed park after the notification in 2006.
