As Kerala froze its order permitting felling of timber in Mullaperiyar neighborhood amid political ripples, the Tamil Nadu authorities on Tuesday launched a duplicate of that directive which mentioned the permission was following an officer’s advice and in response to a pact between the 2 states.
It has additionally emerged that whereas Tamil Nadu sought a nod for the elimination of 23 timber, permission was granted for clearing 15, which was additionally later frozen. The order signifies that high Kerala authorities have been within the loop in respect of the choice to permit TN to chop timber.
The TN authorities launched a duplicate of the ”Proceedings of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden, Kerala,” giving an order permitting Tamil Nadu to fell 15 timber.
The proceedings, dated November 5, 2021, discuss with TN’s plea to take away 23 timber downstream of Baby Dam and widen the bottom of the present Baby Dam and earthen bund to strengthen the construction on the Mullaperiyar Dam website.
A request was additionally made for the elimination of shrubs and bushes in an space of 0.25 Ha (hectare) out of the leased space to TN as a part of the Baby Dam strengthening.
Citing such references, the order mentioned the Deputy Director, Periyar Tiger Reserve East Division advisable the elimination of 15 timber inside an approximate space of 40 cents falling throughout the leased space of Tamil Nadu on the Mullaperiyar Dam website.
”As per Clause 5 of the Principal Deed, the Lessee, Tamil Nadu is permitted to fell the timber, underwoods, and saplings throughout the leased areas for the upkeep works.” ”The forest produces to be obtained on felling of the timber are neither supposed for use or to be eliminated outdoors the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary by the Dam Authorities.” The order of Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Bennichan Thomas, allowing the Executive Engineer of Water Resources Department, Cumbum, Tamil Nadu additionally identifies the species of 15 timber and its specs in an annexure which can be allowed to be eliminated.
Additional, the order mentioned the Deputy Director, Periyar Tiger Reserve, East Division would obtain the timber and firewood from the dam authorities (Tamil Nadu) and use the identical for the formation of brushwood gully plugging / brushwood verify dam at appropriate close by places outdoors the leased space.
A replica of the order was submitted to the Extra Chief Secretary, Water Resources Department, and Principal Secretary, Forests and Wildlife Department, Kerala.
Following Bennichan Thomas’s order, Deputy Director (Venture Tiger) Periyar East Division, Thekkady, A P Sunil Babu on November 6 intimated the Tamil Nadu official, J Sam Erwin (Government Engineer, WRD, Periyar Dam Special Division, Cumbum in Theni District) that permission is granted for reducing 15 timber.
On Monday, the Kerala Meeting witnessed noisy scenes over the Left authorities’s order granting permission to Tamil Nadu for felling 15 timber because the opposition UDF demanded a judicial probe into the difficulty and staged a walkout.
On November 7, the Kerala authorities froze the order granting permission to Tamil Nadu for felling 15 timber and determined to take motion towards officers who had issued it, a day after TN Chief Minister M K Stalin thanked his counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan for permitting elimination of timber.
In Tamil Nadu, opposition events AIADMK and BJP have been concentrating on the ruling DMK over the Mullaperiyar problem.
The Mullaperiyar dam in Kerala was constructed throughout the Periyar River following the Periyar lake lease settlement between Travancore and the Secretary of State for India in 1886. The lease interval is 999 years.
The dam’s building took eight years, confronted a number of challenges, and was accomplished in 1895.
The water provide from the dam, which is owned and operated by the Tamil Nadu authorities, serves because the lifeline of individuals in southern TN.
In Kerala, the pronunciation used is ‘Mulla Periyar’ and in Tamil Nadu, it’s ‘Mullai Periyar.’
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse workers and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
