LDF stages walkout over forest land issue

Replying to a notice seeking adjournment on the reported move of auctioning ecologically fragile land in Nilambur by its present holders, both Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Forest Minister K B Ganeshkumar said government policy was to take over forest lands whose lease period had expired and thereby increase the state's forest cover.

Chandy denied the opposition charge that after UDF came to power, government had lost all cases related to forest land. "Not a single case has been lost.In few cases, court had given stay on take over," Chandy said.

Taking up the issue, K Raju (CPI) said more than 1000 acres, declared as ecologically fragile in 2000, were now being put on auction by the Nilambur Kovillakam Family on the strength of a lower court order.

UDF government failed to protect forest land by not arguing the related cases effectively in courts, Raju alleged.

Before staging the walkout, CPI-M Deputy leader in the House Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said government should examine whether there was any nexus between officials and forest land grabbers in the state.