PIL against sub-lease of reserve forest area

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has issued a notice to the Chairman of VOC Port Trust on a Public Interest Litigation filed alleging that they had sub-leased a few parts of Mullakadu Reserve Forest area.The petitioner, K Mohan Raj, coordinator of Tamil Nadu Green Movement, alleged in his petition that the port trust sub-leased the reserve forest area for private and public establishments where petrol pumps, container yards, thermal power station, TNEB inspection bungalow, regional laboratory, warehouse and several others have been set up.The Mullakadu Reserve Forest, which houses the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, was originally entrusted with the VOC Port Trust for management through a government order dated January 16, 1918, the petitioner stated.According to him, the act of the port trust was a threat to the mangroves in the forest and also directly affected the biodiversity of the Gulf of Mannar. The port trust had leased out at least 570 acres of forest land to TNEB alone. Citing the effluents released from the thermal power station and TNEB plant, the petitioner claimed that the biological life close to the discharge point had already been destroyed by effluents.Therefore, in-order to prevent further damage, the Mullakadu Reserve Forest area should be taken back from the port trust by the State government and Department of Environment and Forests, the petitioner contended.He also prayed that the forest area be declared as as eco-sensitive zone.When the matter was posted before a bench, comprising of Justices Chitra Venkatraman and R Karuppiah, it ordered a notice to the chairman and posted the matter for further hearing after three weeks.