Forest officials and environmentalists are apprehensive about the outcome of Forest Minister Shibu Baby John's scheduled visit to the damaged 'Aluva-Munnar' cart road at Kuttampuzha in Kothamangalam on Monday. They strongly suspect that the minister may succumb to pressure from local politicians and vested interests to open the stretch through dense forest for tourism purposes. Such a move, they fear, will intensify human-animal conflict in the area.
Minister's Statement
The minister will visit the area in the morning, accompanied by politicians and forest officials. "I am just visiting the area as per the demand of the MLAs and MP," John said.
Previous Encroachment Attempts
Kuttampuzha witnessed unruly scenes in March last year when church leaders and politicians, including Idukki MP Dean Kuriakose, the then MLA Antony John, and local politicians attempted to encroach upon forest land illegally. Police registered cases against several people following the incident. Months later, the accused approached the state government demanding the withdrawal of cases, which the government agreed to. Former bishop of Kothamangalam diocese Mar George Punnakottil and some priests were part of the encroachment bid.
Environmental Warnings
Forest officials and environmental enthusiasts warn that opening the reserve forest land stretch will trigger ecological damage and human-wildlife conflict. "The stretch, as claimed by some, is not a full road. It got damaged in the floods in 1924. The road towards Aluva via Neriamangalam came up following this incident. Only KSEB is using a small stretch to reach their land inside the forest. The demand to open the stretch must be in view of tourism interest. It will lead to human-wildlife conflict," said a forest official.
MP's Denial
The Idukki MP, who claimed that there is local demand to open the stretch, denied the possibility of human-wildlife conflicts.
KFRI Study Findings
A study conducted by the Kerala Forest Research Institute in 2005 established the rich biodiversity of the stretch. It found that there are no settlements which can use the old path. It also noted that there are other roads which are in intense use. Crucially, the study noted that developing the link (old cart road) will fragment 400 square kilometers of continuous forest land.
Environmentalist's Warning
Environmentalist M N Jayachandran warned that opening the stretch will damage a huge tract of rainforest area and lead to conflicts. "If the minister is going to succumb to the pressure of encroachers, it will not legally stand since it is a reserve forest land," he said.
Significance of the Visit
The visit of the forest minister to examine the old path assumes significance as he visits the area two days after launching the 100-day programme and Vision 2031 to mitigate human-wildlife conflict in the state.
