Greens urge Kerala government to buy disputed land at Thusharagiri
The Hindu
Handing over land to original owners could spell ecological disaster for area, they say
The All Kerala River Protection Committee has urged the State government to purchase the disputed land at Thusharagiri as they fear an ecological disaster if the land is handed over to the original owners following a recent Supreme Court order. The State government had in 2000 taken over 540 acres of land near the Thusharagiri waterfalls in high-range region of Kozhikode district, after environmentalists like Medha Patkar and Sugathakumari protested against the uncontrolled tree felling in Jeerakappara near the area. The barren land has now turned into dense forest inhabited by several animals and some endangered species of butterflies. Some landowners had approached the court demanding that the land should be returned to them as they were not compensated for it. The case has recently been settled in their favour at the Supreme Court, and 71 acres of land have to be returned to the original owners.A crowd comprising farmers, researchers, professors, students, and horticulture enthusiasts thronged the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru, on Friday for the inaugural ceremony of the Triphal Diversity Show which showcased 300 mango, 100 jackfruit, and 100 banana genotypes in collaboration with ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirappalli.
The State government on Friday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Additional Director-General of Police, Manish Kharbikar of the Economic Offences division of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe the alleged multi-crore scam in the government-run Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation.
The Deputy Commissioner and the Election Officer for Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency M. P. Mullai Muhilan said here on Friday that over 600 staff will be involved in the counting of votes cast in the April 26 elections, at the counting centre at the National Institute of Technology – Karnataka, Surathkal, on June 4.