KOZHIKODE: Greens have demanded an enquiry into the lapses on the part of revenue authorities in the felling of centuries-old rosewood trees from Cavalry estate at Thirunelly by a revenue department team, comprising officials outside the district. Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samiti made this demand when a probe by the Mananthavady sub-collector was underway in the issue.
The outfit reiterated their charge that there were revenue land, excess land and reserved trees in the district and added that the reports submitted by the tahsildar and the taluk surveyor in this regard were incorrect and urged authorities to reject them as it was taluk revenue authorities themselves who had provided NOC to enable the felling of trees.
WPSS president N Badusha and secretary Thomas Ambalavayal said that the survey was conducted without using the total station machine and alleged that the survey and probe was a farce aimed at protecting the officials who made lapses while granting cutting permission to fell these trees.
Badusha said that the coffee board doesn’t have the power to recommend the felling of trees and the investigation should cover the officials who were repeatedly giving recommendations for shade regulation which is being misused to fell centuries-old trees from coffee estates.
WPSS said that Calvary estate was located on a hill slope which is the originating point of several streams. Also the area is ecologically fragile and had witnessed a number of landslides in recent years.
Forest department had maintained that cutting permits were granted to estates based on the NOC received from the revenue department that the land belonging to the estates was not part of revenue land or EFL land and that there were no reserved trees included.
Begur range officer had issued a stop memo to Calvary estate not to proceed with the felling and had verbally told other estates not to proceed with the tree felling for the moment following the concerns raised by environmental organizations.
