The Kerala High Court on Friday restrained the State government from undertaking development activities as part of a proposed eco-tourism project in the Beypore Thope reserve forest in Kozhikode until the Centre granted its permission.
The court passed the order on a petition filed by N. Shamsul Huda of Kozhikode. The petitioner sought to restrain the government and the forest department from undertaking any activities in the reserve forest in violation of the CRZ regulations and the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and to restore the forest to its original position.
According to the petitioner, the government was trying to implement the proposed tourism project in the reserve forest. The activities now being undertaken in the forest amounted to violation of the provisions of the Forest (Conservation ) Act and the CRZ notification.
However, the State government took the stand that the forest department had not altered the areas in any manner and that it had no intention to carry out constructions in violation of the CRZ regulations. The government wanted to implement a tourism project with the objective of conserving medicinal plants in the area. The government said out that the Centre had rejected its application submitted in 2012 seeking permission to implement the proposed tourism project in the forest. The government had approached the Centre again for permission to start eco-tourism activities.
Therefore, the court said that unless permission was obtained from the Centre, no activities in violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act should be undertaken in the forest.
