UDF boycotts question hour in Kerala Assembly over mass felling of protected trees

The Congress-led UDF opposition on Friday boycotted the question hour session in the Kerala Assembly as the Left government rejected their demand for a judicial probe into the mass felling and smuggling of centuries-old rosewood trees from Muttil in Wayanad district by the alleged timber mafia.

It is for the second consecutive session that the opposition used the incident of the illegal tree felling in the government-assigned lands to attack the ruling front in the House.

Terming the massive tree felling reported in the high range district as the "biggest" looting of forest resources in the history of the state, the opposition said only a judicial probe would bring out the comprehensive picture of the plunder and the conspiracy behind it.

They also wanted the former ministers and officials, who had issued orders which had allegedly helped the mafia to fell trees from the revenue land, to be listed as accused in the case.

Rejecting their demand, Forest Minister A K Saseendran said a probe by the Special Investigation Team was underway and a judicial probe was not under the consideration of the government.

"The ongoing investigation is satisfactory. All perpetrators, involved in it, will be punished," the minister said, adding that the loss incurred due to the illegal tree felling in Muttil alone was estimated to the tune of around Rs 14 crore.

He rejected media reports that there were differences between the Forest and Revenue Departments over the issue.

He, however, admitted that the Revenue Department had issued an order which could have a different interpretation from the stand adopted by the Forest Department so far in connection with the felling trees from the 'pattaya bhumi' (government assigned land), he said.

Protesting the government's stand over the issue, the opposition legislators boycotted the question hour and walked out of the House.

After it came under attack over the felling and smuggling of trees in Wayanad, the Kerala government recently constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe into the scandal and similar such cases.

The Centre also recently sought a report from the state government over the incident of the illegal felling of crores-worth timber by the alleged mafia.

The opposition Congress-led UDF had raised the issue in the first session of the Kerala Assembly, accusing the Left government of shielding the culprits.

Accusing the Left government in the state of helping timber mafia to axe protected trees, the opposition had alleged such a crime was not possible without the knowledge and support of political and administrative leadership and the involvement of ministers concerned.

The state government had informed the Kerala High Court that a mafia was involved in felling of trees and what was revealed in the investigation was just the tip of the iceberg.