Ruling CPI at receiving end of Ponthanpuzha Forest row

KOTTAYAM: The controversy over the Ponthanpuzha Forest land is evolving into a political battle where the CPI is attacked from both sides by the Congress and the Kerala Congress (M). The BJP too has joined the fray with the state president Kummanam Rajasekharan scheduled to visit the area on Wednesday.
The 7,000-acre Ponthanpuzha forest spread across Kottayam and Pathanamthitta was notified as reserve forest in 1905 under Travancore Forest Act of 1068.Litigations have been going on in several courts against the notification.
A recent high court order has cancelled the notification after 283 families approached the court saying that they had bought the land from Ezhumattoor Neythalloor Kovilakam in 1930. In 1979, Ernakulum district court ruled in favour of the private parties but, the forest department approached the high court and a single bench in 1981and full bench in 2001held that the area was reserve forest. The families then moved the Supreme Court and the apex court directed the HC to consider the case, which annulled the notification.
The court verdict gained public attention after forest minister K Raju allegedly tried to mislead the people by saying that the court had not given any such verdict and Ponthanpuzha forest was still a reserve forest. It was the Kerala Congress (M), which came up first against the minister and the CPI. As it was perceived as a political move, the Congress too jumped into the fray as Kottayam and Pathanamthitta are strongholds of the Congress as well as KC (M). KC (M) alleged conspiracy and graft for paving way for a verdict in favour of the private parties in the case. The party steering committee member Stephen George said that he had proof that the CPI leadership accepted money and that he can prove his allegation. Subsequently, CPI state secretary, Kanam Rajendran filed a defamation suit against George.