Environmentalists in Wayanad district is planning to approach the Kerala High Court urging the intervention of the court to conserve the Neolithic petroglyphs on the walls of Edakkal caves on Ambukuthy hills by handing over the historical monument to Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The government had taken control of the caves in 1986 after a series of agitations led by environmentalists in the district under the aegis of the Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samiti when rampant granite mining was posing a threat to the very existence of the historical monument, said N. Badusha, president of the organisation.
Now, the monument is under the control of the State Archaeology Department and tourism activities are being managed by the District Tourism Promotion Council. But they were yet to adopt any measures to conserve the caves, formed on fragile rocks, and the rock carvings were still lacking protection from illegal constructions, encroachment, mining, felling of trees, and urbanisation, Mr. Badusha said.
The mushrooming of resorts on the hills by drastically altering the topography and rampant mining activities were the major threats being faced by Edakkal caves, he said.
A few decades ago, there were hundreds of acres of revenue land on the premises of the caves, but now all the revenue land, except 20 cents around the caves, was encroached upon and is owned by resort lobbies with the support of some Revenue Department officials, alleged Thomas Ambalavayal, secretary of the organisation. Huge constructions were also made on the hill after felling trees and bulldozing the hill slopes, he said.
More than 12 landslips were reported on the hill slopes during the monsoon last year and now a huge crack has been developed on the eastern part of the hill slopes. The conservation of the entire hill area was the only possible step to protect the monument. All the land deeds on the hill slopes, granted after 1986, should be cancelled and the entire area should be handed over to the ASI, he said.
