E-Paper
Forest amendment bill put on hold: Kerala CM
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan underlined that the government would not take the legislation forward without allaying the concerns about the bill among various stakeholders
The Kerala government on Wednesday decided to put on hold the contentious Kerala Forest (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in the wake of protests and concerns about some of the provisions of the legislation.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, underlined that the government would not take the legislation forward without allaying the concerns about the bill among various stakeholders.
“There are a lot of concerns about the Kerala Forest (Amendment) Bill in the society. The amendment recommendations were first put forward in 2013 when UDF was in power. At that time, the additional principal forest conservator prepared a draft bill. That was the beginning. The amendment would criminalise people who stop vehicles inside forests with the purpose of entering forests and committing crimes. Anyway, since there are concerns about the present form of the amendment bill, the government is not ready to move forward without allaying them. The government views seriously the concerns among some about a department abusing the powers vested with them,” Vijayan said.
His administration, said the CM, was not aiming to bring any law that would affect the interests of farmers and those living in the high-ranges.
“All laws are aimed at the sustenance and development of human beings. By protecting human interests, the government aims to preserve nature both at micro and macro levels,” he added.
The LDF government was forced to take a backstep on the contentious bill days ahead of the assembly session re-convening in the face of strong protests by the settler farming communities, mainly backed by the Catholic Church, as well as dissensions even from inside the ruling front. Parties like the Kerala Congress (M), an ally of the CPI(M) and whose principal votaries come from the Catholics and the settler farmers’ communities, had come out with objections to the bill. The opposition Congress has also announced a “malayora jatha” (hill range march) against the now-withdrawn bill and rising human-wildlife conflict.
One of the contentious provisions of the bill was that it if passed it would enable forest officers to arrest or detain a person suspected of having committed a forest offence without a warrant or nod from a judicial magistrate. Another provision expanded definition of “forest officer” to include forest and tribal watchers and beat forest officers who are often hired temporarily and mostly on political recommendations. The amendment bill also promised to hike the fines for penalties multifold. Such provisions, the farmers feared, would give sweeping powers to the forest department in harassing them.
Mar Joseph Pamplany, archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church in Thalassery and one of the people who opposed the bill, said: “The government’s decision to put on hold the bill is a relief and happy news. There were a lot of fears among farmers and those living near forests. It shows that the government was serious about those concerns.”
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said: “The government has been forced to withdraw it. The bill was a big challenge towards the farmers and those living near forests. Strong public protests have forced the administration to take a back step.”
