Book tea estate owner, aides for relaying forest road: Activists

Udhagamandalam: Two days after the forest department arrested the manager of a private tea estate belonging to the son-in-law of Tamil Nadu tourism minister for illegally relaying a road to an extent of 1.7km, cutting through a reserve forest area near Kilkotagiri in the Kotagiri forest range in the Nilgiris, activists on Saturday demand the forest department to take action against the owner of the estate as well as against the forest range officer and his subordinates.
A conservationist, who didn’t want to be named, said, “Earthmovers and road rollers were used by the management of Medanad Tea Estate at Elada near Kilkotagiri to relay and expand the forest road. But the forest department arrested only the manager of the estate and two vehicle operators. The owner of the estate should be taken in to custody for the illegal activity. Action should also be taken against the forest officials for the alleged connivance.”
S Gowtham, district forest officer, Nilgiris division, said a 4km forest road was existing in the area. “Only 2.3km is maintained by the forest department. The Medanad estate management has the right to use the road. Permission for the same was obtained long ago. Now, they have levelled the unmaintained 1.7km stretch, using earthmovers and road rollers. On some stretches, they have widened the road as well. They don’t have the right to maintain or widen the road.”
He said they had taken action against the manager of the estate and two vehicle operators based on the preliminary inquiry and their confessional statements.
“A detailed inquiry is underway. While filing the chargesheet, we will bring in all the parties related to the case. We have issued a memo to the Kotagiri range officer and his subordinates, seeking an explanation. A detailed departmental inquiry will be conducted,” the istrict forest officer said.
The arrested people in the case were identified as Balamurugan, manager of the estate, and Umar Farook and Pankaj Kumar Singh, heavy vehicle operators. They have been booked under the Tamil Nadu Forest Act, 1882, and the Forest Conservation Act, 1980.