The Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) attached to the Pramadom grama panchayat has formally announced the ecologically sensitive Thudiyurulippara hill in the panchayat as a biodiversity heritage site on the recommendations of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB). Panchayat president Robin Peter says the local body’s announcement comes on the occasion of World Nature Conservation Day on July 28.
KSBB district coordinator Mathew Thomas told The Hindu that the district-level technical support group of the board had carried out a series of site inspections and extensive studies at Thudiyurulippara before submitting its report and recommending it heritage site status, says Mr. Thomas.
Villagers, under the aegis of the Grama Raksha Samiti (GRS), have been agitating against granite quarrying and demanding effective measures to conserve the biodiversity there.
Blatant violation of mining rules and the Kerala Land Utilisation Act by quarry operators has already done considerable damage to the ecology and environment there, says R. Jyotish, GRS leader.
The Survey Department had identified wanton encroachment of government land and indiscriminate rock quarrying at Thudiyurulippara a few years ago. The survey was carried out on the basis of a GRS memorandum to the District Collector.
And now, being given the biodiversity heritage site status to Thudiyurulippara by the KSSB, the villagers are a bit relieved, says Mr. Jyotish.
