Thiruvananthapuram: Government announced a high-level probe into the Muttil illegal tree felling case in Wayanad.
CM Pinarayi Vijayan said on Friday that a team of officials drawn from multiple agencies will conduct a probe.
“The government is going for a high-level probe in this regard.
A special team of officers from crime branch, forests and VACB will probe the matter.
Government is in the process of completing procedures for launching the probe,” he said.
Vijayan said that there was a large demand from the farmers in Idukki that they weren’t allowed to fell trees in their land.
The government had taken some decisions in connection with the issue three years ago.
He said that revenue department’s controversial order was taken on the basis of that decision.
He added that since the probe is being launched, those who have sinned will have to bear the consequences and there will be no leniency.
With regards to the photograph that was displayed by MLA PT Thomas, in which the CM is seen shaking hands with one of the key accused in the tree felling case, Vijayan said that it was not a private meeting between him and the accused person.
He clarified that it was an event conducted by Deshabhimani daily, in which the accused also participated.
Meanwhile, forests minister AK Saseendran gave some clarifications regarding the allegations that he had met the accused in the tree felling case.
The minister, who admitted that he had met the accused, clarified that he had met them in connection with the launching of the Mango mobile phone project.
He said the accused had approached him with the proposal for distributing mobile phones for students.
But he had told them that he cannot decide such things.
The photograph being circulated now is the one clicked when the accused submitted a memorandum to him then, he said.
He said that the motive behind those spreading false allegations is to link the government with the illegal tree fellers since the tenure of the previous LDF government.
He said that the information is that the tree felling happened in revenue land and not forest land.
It is being probed whether forest officers have a role in this matter and those found guilty will be penalized, he said.
As per the information placed in the assembly, illegal tree fellers, who misused a government order by revenue department, have felled 101 rosewood trees that are centuries old, approximately costing Rs 10 crore.