The Kerala Paristhithi Aikya Vedi, a collective of 56 environmental organisations in the State, has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the illegal felling of rosewood and teak.
As per a circular issued in March 2020 and a Government Order in October 2020, felling of rosewood and teak, which have been categorised as ‘royal trees’, was made illegal under the Kerala Land Assignment Rules, 1964.
In a memorandum submitted to the Central and State governments, the collective said the stance of the government that there was no need to investigate the circumstances leading to the issuance of such orders was a challenge to the judiciary. Hence, a CBI probe alone could bring the culprits before the law, it said.
Several organisations, including the Malabar Natural History Society, Society for Environmental Education in Kerala (SEEK), Payyannur, State chapter of the National Alliance of People’s Movements, Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samithi, Save the Western Ghats movement, Cochin Natural History Society, and River Research Centre, Thrissur, signed the memorandum.
