Thiruvananthapuram: Just as the Kerala’s state assembly is to discuss the proposed amendment to the Kerala Forest Act, 1961 this month, farmer outfits in the state have raised concerns saying that the amendments will adversely affect people living in 430 village panchayats in the state, The Indian Express reported.
It is reported citing the draft of the Kerala Forest (Amendment) Bill, 2024 that the objective is to prevent dumping of waste materials in the forest.
The proposed amendments seek to make dumping waste in rivers and water bodies flowing into the forest as offences.
Alongside giving more powers to forest officers, the bill seeks to hike ‘manifold the fines imposed’ on various offences.
The bill reportedly gives powers to a forest officer to arrest or detain any person without warrant on suspicion of the person involved in some forest offence, even outside the forest.
The amendment defines the beat forest officer, tribal watcher and forest watcher as ‘forest officer’ allowing them to discharge any function of a forest officer under the Kerala Forest Act.
Vesting powers on those on temporary roll, appointed on the basis of recommendations from political parties, will lead to misuse of power, according to the report.
The bill brings under the forest Act the rivers flowing into the forest rather than flowing through the forest tract.
Many rivers in the state flows through human settlement before entering into forest.
Dumping waste into rivers flowing into forest being made an offence, it gives rise to fears that local people will face various forest offences as the amendment will give officials rights over stretches of river outside the forest.
Now on offences under the Act attract will attract exorbitant fines with the existing meagre of Rs 1,000 to be jacked up to Rs 25,000 for petty forest crimes and some fines are to be increased to Rs 50,000.