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Idukki : CPM has called a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Idukki on Oct 16, demanding the withdrawal of govt orders and proposals that, it alleges, threaten land rights and restrict the movement of people in the high-range district.
Varghese alleged that the proposal submitted by UDF govt undermined the previous govt’s stand on ESA, which covered only 8,590.60sq km of forest land in 98 villages. He strongly opposed references to CHR in the report, pointing out that the V S Achuthanandan govt had told the Supreme Court in 2007 that CHR land was not reserve forest. The revenue department’s rights over CHR had also been reiterated in 2023-24, he claimed.
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Essential services, including milk and newspaper distribution and hospital-related services, will be exempted, CPM district secretary C V Varghese said at a news conference. The lack of clarity over the status of forest and revenue land was creating widespread anxiety among people in the district, he said. The party’s demands include publication of a cadastral map for the proposed ecologically sensitive area (ESA), dropping the move to classify Cardamom Hills Reserve (CHR) as forest land, abandoning attempts to revive the HRML project shelved by the previous LDF govt, withdrawal of orders relating to elephant corridors and restoration of people’s freedom of movement. Download the TOI App.