Latest news with #Jayachandran
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Youth Cong march to Jayachandran's house pure hooliganism: Greens
Kochi: Several environmental activists in state came out in support of M N Jayachandran, Idukki district secretary of Society for Protection of Cruelty Against Animals (SPCA), who faced attacks and protests from Youth Congress workers for filing a case against large-scale tree cutting and illegal constructions under the guise of NH construction activity. The activists said that approaching the judiciary was a right of every citizen. "Jayachandran approached the high court not out of anyone's instigation or for personal gain. Govt clarified in a court affidavit that the construction site is a reserved forest. The HC intervened because the construction was proceeding without the necessary final approvals under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The court has asked the chief secretary to investigate and report on the unauthorized construction activities," they said in a statement. "The march by Youth Congress activists to Jayachandran's house, locking his wife and elderly mother inside, is not only illegal but, to put it mildly, pure hooliganism. Environmental protection is a constitutional civic duty. Questioning projects that violate environmental laws is not anti-people but a citizen's responsibility and a service to the nation and its people. Defamatory campaigns against someone filing a petition in the public interest to uphold the law are an affront to democracy and the rule of law," the statement said. "No one is against development. However, it requires legal approvals, environmental impact assessments, expert evaluations at various levels, public dialogue and completion of legal procedures. If responsible parties fail to do so, protecting the environment through the court and questioning illegal activities is a noble example of democracy," the activists said. "We believe that defamatory campaigns and personal attacks against Jayachandran following high court's verdict will be dismissed by the public. Those spreading rumours that Jayachandran is a proxy for forest department are either proxies themselves or their masters," they said. The signatories include Thomas Ambalavayal, Veena Marathur, T V Rajan, Adv TS Santhosh, Varghese Vattakattu, R Mohanan, K A Sulaiman, Sasheendra Babu, N Badusha, and Rashmi Stalin. MSID:: 122582307 413 |
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Youth Congress workers stage protest before house of environmentalist
The construction curbs on the Neryamangalam-Valara stretch of the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway (NH85), connecting Munnar hill station to Ernakulam, have emerged as a political issue in the district, following a recent High Court order regarding the road construction. The High Court on Friday issued an order restricting the widening works on the 14.5 km stretch, which is at the intersection of the NH, on a petition filed by an Idukki-based environmentalist, M.N. Jayachandran. After the court order, protests erupted in the district. Various political parties and farmers' groups alleged that Mr. Jayachandran was trying to block development activities with the support of the Forest department. Youth Congress workers staged a protest in front of the house of Mr. Jayachandran. According to Congress leaders, the Youth Congress workers put up a blockade in front of his house at Thodupuzha on Sunday at 10 a.m. The protesters locked the gate of the house. The Youth Congress's former State secretary, M.A. Ansary, inaugurated the protest and said that if Mr. Jayachandran continues the anti-people interventions, the people will not allow him to leave the house. After the protest, the police arrived at the location and unlocked the gate. The members of Coexistence Collective, Kerala, a collective of environmentally conscious and concerned groups across Kerala, demanded action against the Youth Congress workers. 'Mr. Jayachandran has merely exercised his constitutional duty and civic responsibility by approaching the Court to prevent illegal activities in forest areas. Targeting such a petitioner is equivalent to attacking the rule of law, judicial independence, and environmental protection itself,' they said. Rasak Chooravelil, general convener of the Idukki Land Freedom Movement (ILFM), said that the interventions of Mr. Jayachandran resulted in blocking the development activities in the hilly district. 'An affidavit submitted by K.R. Jyothi Lal, Additional Chief Secretary to the Forest and Wildlife Department, stated that the area is a reserve forest, and it resulted in a construction curb order from the government. After the High Court in May 2024 ordered that the Forest Department should not interfere with the construction works of the road, the State government decided not to file an appeal against the order. We suspect that the Forest Department is behind the petition filed by Mr. Jayachandran,' he said. Meanwhile, Mr. Jayachandran said that he will not oppose the construction activities of the highway. 'The construction activities and tree felling were conducted on the reserve forest area without permission from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), and I raised the issue before the court,' he said.
The Hindu
18-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
World of reading opens to Kannampadi residents
Tribal students and residents of Kannampadi within the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary are about to open a new chapter in their life, with three new libraries set to open in the tribal settlement. The initiative is being implemented through three eco-development committees (EDC) operating in the region. According to officials, the libraries have been set up at Memari, Kathitheppan, and Kollathikkavu under the Kannampadi tribal settlement. Idukki Wildlife Warden G. Jayachandran says the Forest department purchased books worth ₹1 lakh with the support of the State Forest Development Agency for the three libraries. The libraries have been named Thaliru and the theme of the libraries is 'Reading is the true addiction'. The Kannampadi tribal settlement is located 12 km from Upputhara, near Kattappana, in Idukki. There are 623 families in the 12 tribal settlements in Kannampadi. The three libraries will cater to the residents and students of six settlements. Officials say the department is planning to open more libraries in the settlements to inculcate reading habit among tribespeople. 'The tribal settlements are located in the deep forests and due to the remoteness, books are not easily accessible to people and students. The settlement at Memari is hosting one of the libraries. It has children's books, novels, study books, short story collections, and travelogues,' says Mr. Jayachandran. According to Assistant Wildlife Warden B. Prasad Kumar, the department is planning to arrange more books for the libraries. Mr. Jayachandran says the department is planning to begin a coaching facility in the libraries for the tribal students taking PSC examinations. 'The department is planning to arrange newspapers and periodicals in the libraries to keep the students abreast of the latest developments so that they can appear for job-related examinations. Experts will train and appoint individuals from the settlements as librarians in the libraries,' says Mr. Jayachandran. The initiative has received enthusiastic response with many children visiting the libraries. The libraries will be thrown open on Thursday, National Reading Day, June 19. The official inauguration is slated later this month.
The Hindu
05-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Coimbatore DFO, Boluvampatti FRO receive awards from Chief Minister
N. Jayaraj, District Forest Officer (DFO), Coimbatore Forest Division, and K. Jayachandran, Forest Range Officer (FRO), Boluvampatti forest range, received awards for the best DFO and FRO on Thursday. The awards were presented by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in Chennai on the occasion of the World Environment Day. The Chief Minister presented the award to Mr. Jayaraj for the best DFO for the management of human - wildlife conflict in the Coimbatore division for the year 2024-25. Despite Coimbatore Forest Division being one of the hotbeds of negative interactions between humans and wild animals in the State, the DFO managed to handle the situation efficiently with his subordinate officers and field staff, according to the Forest Department. Mr. Jayachandran received the award for the best FRO for the year 2024-25 under the Green Tamil Nadu Mission category. Mr. Jayachandran, during his previous post as the FRO, Forest Extension, distributed a total of three lakh saplings of native trees to the public, farmers and institutions in 2024-25 to increase the tree cover.
