Govt's amendments to Kerala Forest Act will harm farmers, tribals: UDF

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 17 (PTI) The Congress-led UDF opposition on Tuesday criticised the Left government's proposed amendments to the Kerala Forest Act, alleging that it gives excessive powers to officials while adversely affecting the lives of farmers and tribals living in and around forests.

Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan contended that the proposed amendments to the forest law were not aimed at saving the people from the increasing attacks by wild animals and instead would only cause more problems for those living near forests.

The proposed amendments have substantially enhanced, in some cases by ten-fold, the fine amounts under the Act and empowered forest officers to arrest or detain culprits or offenders without warrants or permission from a magistrate or superior officers.

The government decided to enhance the fines as the amounts were "meagre in the present scenario".

It also decided to give more powers to forest officers as waiting for permission from magistrates or superior officers to arrest culprits may lead to the offenders escaping.

Satheesan, while speaking to reporters here, said that the state government and the political leadership heading the administration are making laws without considering how they might affect people.

"The new law gives excessive powers to the forest department officials. The fine has been increased five-fold. They have been given the power to conduct raids in anyone's house without a search warrant. This is a challenge to the privacy of people. Farmers and tribals will be its victims," the opposition leader said.

He said that the opposition will support forest conservation but will oppose the attempts to convert populated areas into forests in a state which has more than 29 per cent of forest cover and urged the state government to not push the amendments.

His remarks came in the wake of a man being trampled to death in Kuttampuzha, a forest-fringe village in Ernakulam district, on Monday night. PTI HMP HMP ROH