A joint action council of citizens suspended an indefinite strike in front of the Assistant Wildlife Warden’s Office at Pampadumshola in Munnar, demanding permission for construction work on the Kadavari-Kottakamboor route, following the intervention by the office of Minister for Forests A.K. Saseendran on Tuesday.
Residents led by R. Chemmalar, ward member of Kadavari ward of the Vattavada panchayat, near Munnar, began the protest on September 4 after the Forest department objected to construction work on the Kadavari-Kottakkamboor stretch.
Ms. Chemmalar said that the panchayat decided to carry out concreting of a 1.5-km portion of the 12-km road. “Around 175 families live in the area, and the road is the only way to connect with the outside world. But the Forest department demands that the money be transferred to their Forest Development Agency (FDA) and they will construct the road,” she said.
“As per the directive, the panchayat decided to transfer the money for the road construction to the Forest department in 2023. But the Forest department refused to sign an agreement with the panchayat and the fund lapsed in 2023,” she said.
She alleged that the officials were trying to block all developmental activities in the village under the guise of protecting forests.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) took out a protest march in front of the forest office on Tuesday, demanding permission for road construction. CPI district secretary K. Salim Kumar inaugurated the march.
Vattavada panchayat former president P. Ramaraj said on Tuesday evening that the Forest Minister’s office intervened in the issue and agreed to hold talks with residents of Vattavada on Friday and find a solution. “We will temporarily suspend the protest from Wednesday. If the ministerial-level talks fail, we will resume the protest on Saturday,” said Mr. Ramaraj.
Part of sanctuary
Meanwhile, Munnar wildlife warden K.V. Harikrishnan said that some areas (58 and 62 blocks) in the Vattavada panchayat had been included in the proposed Neelakurinji sanctuary. “The road will come under the sanctuary area, and the settlement process of the sanctuary has not yet been completed. In the present situation, we cannot allow construction activities by other agencies in the area,” said the official.
“The Forest department is ready to construct the road if the panchayat handed over the money to the Anamudi Forest Development Agency (AFDA) or the Forest department will construct the road within two months with own funds,” said the official.
On October 6, 2006, the then Forest Minister Binoy Viswom announced a 32-sq km Neelakurinji sanctuary in the Kottakamboor-Vattavada area to protect the Neelakurinji plants. But even after 18 years, the proposed sanctuary remains on paper.
Published - September 10, 2024 07:10 pm IST
