The hills of Chokramudi reflect the desperate cry for revival in Idukki

By including the 354.59 hectare government rock puramboke in the sketch, the surveyor has committed a serious offense and transferred ownership of government land to a private party. In yet another major violation, the Devikulam Tahsildar had also issued a no-objection certificate to Sibi and Sini Sibi, who had purchased the land from Maijo Joseph, for constructing a building in the area declared as red zone, the report said .

The report further said that the grasslands in Chokramudi, where the Neelakurinji plants had grown, were damaged with chemicals by the attackers. Besides damaging the highly endemic flora, the hill’s natural water sources were also poisoned, posing a danger to the valley’s residents, the report said. The report recommended action against the violators under the Land Conservancy Act 1957 and departmental action against the officials who supported the attackers in the land grab.

Tribes demand protection of their cultural heritage. The Muthuvan tribes settled in Chokramudi, deeply concerned about the possible environmental degradation and impact on their cultural heritage, staged a protest at the Chokramudi Hill and presented a memorandum to the District Collector and Sub-Collector urging them to immediately stop construction activities.

“Our livelihood depends on Chokramudi, which translated means the hill where Chokrunadhan (Lord Shiva) presides,” said R. Kumaraswamy, the head of the Chokramudi settlement. He said that if the rocks were destroyed and the hill was mined, it would destroy their land. “This mountain is the home of our gods and we will fight tooth and nail to prevent illegal construction activities,” he said.

The Muthuvan Adivasi Samudhaya Sangham, an organization for the Muthuvan tribal community in the state, has also extended their support to the tribe’s efforts to save the Chokramudi Hill.

Meanwhile, Devikulam sub-collector Jayakrishnan VM, who visited Chokramudi along with officials of mining and geology, forest and PWD departments on Tuesday, said after examining the issue in detail and verifying the technical and environmental aspects of the construction work. are done, a report will be submitted after joint discussion and submission of reports by other departments. “If there is any malpractice on the part of the officials, that will also be investigated along with the legality of the land documents,” he said.

It has been learned that environmental organizations may move to HC and demand a CBI probe into the corruption and malpractices by tax officials. A protest march and blockade will be organized on October 1 under the leadership of the Chokramudi Samrakshana Samithi in front of the Bisonvalley village office, which will be inaugurated by Devikulam MLA A Raja.