Land survey in Idukki’s Mankulam runs into trouble as Forest dept. opposes survey in ‘reserve forest’

A land survey in Mankulam in Idukki for identifying land for the landless has run into trouble with the Forest department opposing the exercise, which, according to them, was being held in a reserve forest area.

Apprehending that it may lose around 500 hectares of forestland which is part of the proposed Mankulam Reserve Forest, the Forest department has shot off a letter to the Subcollector, Devikulam, seeking to stop the survey. Originally, around 2,100 acres was identified on a riverbank for the purpose, they argued.

The department pointed out that the survey in forestland, which was notified as a reserve forest under the Kerala Forest Act 1961, was illegal and the attempts to assign the forestland for non-forest purposes were in violation of Supreme Court orders.

However, revenue officials maintained that the survey was done in revenue land outside the forest boundaries.

The forest officials complained that a team of four surveyors led by a surveyor under the Revenue Division Officer, Devikulam, conducted surveys at three locations at Banglavuthara and 6 Mile in Survey No. 213/part of Mankulam village, which was a reserve forest and was recorded as forest in the revenue record too.

The officials apprehended that the survey was part of the attempts by the Revenue department to assign the forestland despite opposition from the Forest department. The Chief Forest Conservator (High Range Circle) had taken up the issue with the District Collector, officials said.

‘Against Forest Act’

The officials also blamed the Devikulam Subcollector, who is also the Settlement Officer, for violating the provisions of the Kerala Forest Act regarding the procedures to be followed for land assignment and related cases.

The Supreme Court had ordered that “no forest should be assigned to any person without prior approval of the Government of India” and the “forest area assigned to private individuals should be taken back from the person and handed over to the Forest department for afforestation,” the department argued.

Subcollector defends move

At the same time, V.M. Arya, Subcollector, Devikulam, defended the decision, stating that the survey was being conducted on revenue land, outside the forest limits. Land has to be assigned to 1,016 persons as per the allotment notices given in 1998. Although a decision to assign the land to the landless was made way back in 1998, it could not be done for various reasons. There are a few areas in Mankulam where the forest and revenue holdings are lying adjacent to each other and the survey was confined to the revenue land. Any dispute regarding the land shall be looked into and amicably settled as decided earlier, Ms. Arya added.