JOIN USThe Ministry of Environment and Forests had two days ago directed that all further activities at the site of construction should be stopped as coastal regulation rules were being violated.
The ministry’s directive was based on a site visit report, submitted by a scientist deputed by the ministry, which confirmed the large-scale construction activities that had taken place within the mangrove vegetation.
The scientist had reported that shop-like structures, observation points and floating restaurants had been erected and jetties, bridges and wooden planks had been widened into road for moving about in the area.
However, CPM Kannur district secretary P Sasi on Friday contested the ministry’s claim saying that the society had only been trying to preserve the mangrove vegetation.
He alleged that Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh’s letter was intended only for K Sudhakaran, the Congress MP from Kannur, who had raised the matter.
“The society has received no communique in this regard. There is no question of halting this project,” he said.
Sudhakaran, who had for long been locked in a bitter confrontation with the CPM, said he would go to any extent to halt the CPM’s nefarious designs.
“If they are going to keep violating the rule of law, then I am going to the Supreme Court. I will get the matter referred to the green bench of the court,” he said in New
Delhi.
As reported by Deccan Herald, the Rs 5-crore theme park is the latest initiative of the CPM, which owns TV channels, malls, hospitals, banks, hotels and amusement park through party-backed cooperative societies.
The Rs 1-crore first phase of the theme park had already been completed. Environmentalists and rival political parties had been campaigning against the project as they allege that it was also an outright commercial venture.