Four MLAs – J.G. Prince and S. Vijayadharani (Congress), Pushpa Leela Alben (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) and S. John Jacob (Tamil Maanila Congress) – joined hands to demand scrapping of the Tamil Nadu Preservation of Private Forests Act, here on Sunday.
Over one lakh hectares were brought under this Act, which prevented farmers from buying and selling their agricultural lands.
Rubber tree growers could not remove old trees and raise new ones, as it had been made mandatory to obtain permission from forest officials to cut trees, they said.
Jointly addressing reporters at the government guest house in Kuzhithurai, the MLAs, along with representatives of Kumari District Rubber Growers’ Association and Rubber Farmers’ Association, said that the Act prevented the farmers from enjoying the ownership over patta lands which were in the names of farmers and their relatives.
They expressed concern over the restrictions imposed in the vicinity of the Western Ghats Reserve Forest areas in the district coming under the Eco-Sensitive Zone.
“The restrictions cannot be imposed on areas where people are already living and working as per the recommendations of the Kasturirangan Commission,” they said. They demanded implementation of the recommendations of the T.S.R. Subramanian Commission.
The MLAs said that they would announce a series of agitations and programmes, urging the government to scrap the Act.
