The government is taking over three estates of leased
forestland having a total area of 751.75 acres of coffee and cardamom
cultivation in Nelliampathy from the companies running them.
A top Forest Department official told
The Hindu
on Thursday that these estates—Alexandria Group 1 Estate (250 acres),
Alexandria Group 2 Estate (251.75 acres) and Brookland Estate (250
acres)—were being resumed by the government for violations of the Kerala
Grants and Leases Act and the Forest Conservation Act.
The
order on the resumption of the leased estates said the Forest
Department would henceforth run these estates and the workers engaged by
the company would continue to work there. There are 15 workers in
Alexandria Group 1 Estate, 11 workers in Alexandria Group 2 Estate, and
15 workers in Brookland Estate.
The
companies/individuals running these estates were served notice earlier
charging them with violations of the lease conditions and also the
Forest Conservation Act.
State stance
The
government’s stand is that leased out government forestland had the
status of ‘reserved forest’ and hence attracted the provisions of the
Forest Conservation Act of 1980. The original lessees had transferred
their ‘limited leasehold rights’ over such land to others (subsequent to
1980). The 1980 Act stipulated the prior permission of the Union
government for such transactions. This was not done. The lessees also
did not have any right to fragment these properties.
The
official said the workers of the estates would receive regular work.
The Forest Department was managing the cultivation in a few other
estates also in Nelliampathy, which were taken over by the government
for similar reasons.
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