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SC Demands Action on Agasthyamalai Encroachments
20 Aug
Summary
- Supreme Court mandates time-bound eviction of forest encroachers.
- Paramilitary force suggested for preserving ecologically sensitive areas.
- Government employees found among land encroachers in Tamil Nadu.
The Supreme Court has mandated a time-bound and closely monitored framework for the eviction of encroachers from Tamil Nadu's Agasthyamalai landscape. Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta expressed dismay that despite decades of directives from the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court, encroachments persist within protected areas like the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.
Last year, the Supreme Court directed the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to survey the landscape. The CEC's interim report indicated substantial encroachment in the Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary and identified vulnerable areas in the Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve, which forms the upper catchment of the Vaigai River.
Alarmingly, the CEC report revealed that 118 individuals identified as encroachers are current or retired government employees, including from the Army and Police. The report also noted significant encroachments in the Kalakad-Mudanthurai Tiger Reserve.
Responding to the CEC report, Tamil Nadu acknowledged challenges such as resistance and ongoing court cases, particularly concerning landless and economically weaker sections. However, the Supreme Court underscored that these complexities could not justify indefinite delays in legally mandated actions.
The Court directed disciplinary and legal action against the 118 government servant encroachers. Furthermore, it ordered a moratorium on extending welfare schemes and infrastructure support to encroached forest areas to prevent legitimization of illegal occupation. A prohibition on new non-forestry activities within Agasthyamalai was also decreed.
