Thiruvananthapuram, June 30: Forest and Housing Minister Benoy Viswom said here on Monday that the State government would soon bring in legislation to protect small farmers who would be affected by the Ecologically Fragile Land (EFL) Act.
Replying to a debate on demands for grants for his departments in the Assembly, Mr. Viswom said the government proposed to set up redress committees, each comprising the panchayat president, the District Forest Officer, revenue and agriculture officials and scientists of the Kerala Forest Research Institute, to examine pleas for exemption from the Act from farmers who hold up to five acres of land in notified ecologically fragile land.
The committees would examine the pleas, conduct field visits and decide on giving exemption. The Minister had to face a barrage of questions on the status of the Merchiston Estate land, which was now in the court.
Opposition members alleged during the course of the debate that the government was favouring the owner of the estate by not taking steps to vacate the court stay.
The Minister said the government did not intend to protect any land shark or land mafia. Giving the background of the case, he said the problems started with the United Democratic Front government’s law on EFL land. The custodian and the tribunal were set up as envisaged under the law, but the rules were not framed.
The Opposition then wanted to know why a senior forest official in the rank of Chief Conservator of Forests was suspended.
The Minister said he had been suspended because he failed to communicate with the government on the issue and not for lapses as custodian. The Minister said that he proposed to utilise the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme to create water resources to address the drinking water shortage faced by wild animals.
The compensation for deaths on account of attacks by wild animals had been increased to Rs.1 lakh and for loss of crop, to Rs.50,000.
