Dichotomy in Govt.'s forest policy

By P. Venugopal

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MARCH 9. The State Government's commitment to the cause of conservation has two diametrically opposite dimensions. Both are on full display in the 777-sq.km. Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) where the Mullaperiyar reservoir and the Sabarimala shrine are located.

Tamil Nadu's demand for raising the maximum permissible level of the Mullaperiyar reservoir brought out the conservationist in Kerala Government. It even made the State Forest Department implead in the case currently being tried in the Supreme Court to argue how raising the reservoir level would damage the ecosystem of the PTR through the submersion of fresh tracts of wildlife territory. The Forest Department was asked to prepare a strong case against Tamil Nadu's demand, describing under what all provisions of the conservation laws of the land raising the reservoir level is untenable.

The same department becomes everybody's whipping boy at Sabarimala. Not a single word is it permitted to utter when the Travancore Dewaswom Board (TDB) comes up with its wild ideas of development in Lord Ayyappa's sacred grove. Mr. C. K. Nanu is the Minister for both Forests and the Dewaswom Board here. The latest project being contemplated by the TDB is to construct a serpentine `nadapanthal' (roofed footpath) along the entire 4-km stretch from Pampa to the Sannidhanam. A leading liquor manufacturing company is understood to have volunteered to build this `nadapanthal' for the TDB. Soon the pilgrims could feast their devout eyes on the hoardings of certain popular brands of Indian-made foreign liquor as they trek their way up the holy hills to have a `darshan' of Lord Ayyappa.

The TDB probably feels that a roofed footpath will be more comforting to the pilgrims than the cool shade of the towering trees which line the route. The trees are inconvenient anyway, since they take up valuable space which can be leased out for commercial purposes during the pilgrim season to bring higher revenues to the TDB. Also, it is an inconsequential matter that a roofed footpath along such a long stretch in the forests could cause some inconvenience to the elephants and other wildlife of the region.

Almost all agencies which had studied the issues relating to Sabarimala (including the Legislative Committee on Environment) had recommended that development works in this area should be undertaken only on the basis of a masterplan. In fact, such a plan, which gives due importance to both the environmental aspects and the needs of pilgrimage, was also got ready by the Legislative Committee after conducting a series of seminars and workshops.

However, this masterplan now lies in cold storage. Whenever the TDB gets a new development idea, the strategy is to use political pressure on the Forest Department to keep quiet and go ahead with its programme. The strategy also involves getting favourable court orders to guard against interference. None challenges the TDB's invocations in the court; the political equations at Sabarimala do not permit it.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Quota rules for local body polls soon
Next     : Pillai move to seek bail in SC