Forest officials who did their duty, and opposed the dumping of soil inside a reserve forest for the shooting of the Mammootty film Unda, allege that they still face harassment, months after the incident took place. The soil was dumped inside the reserve forest in Karadukka of Mulleria, Kasaragod district, to create an easy access road for the vehicles involved in the shoot.
The shoot took place in the months of April and May this year, following which environmental activist Angels Nair filed a complaint in the Kerala High Court, citing the alleged damage caused during the shoot.
The film's producer Moviee Mill was given permission to dump gravel and construct a road by the then District Forest Officer M Rajeevan.
According to the sources in the department, about 27 tipper lorries went inside the forest to deposit the gravel. Apart from this, the use of bulldozers also raised concerns among environmentalists and some of the officers.
Kasaragod Range Forest Officer (RFO) N Anil Kumar had opposed these activities in the forest from the beginning, following which there was a move to transfer him to Attapady, in Palakkad. Later the officer got a stay from the Kerala Administrative Tribunal.
Sources from the department say that though DFO M Rajeevan was transferred, some of the officials who opposed the activities still face harassment.
"A number of RTI queries are filed just to trouble us. Some of the files were taken from a junior officer's office without his permission, and now some of the seniors use that to threaten him. This particular junior officer was with the RFO in opposing the shooting," claims an officer from the Forest Department who did not want to be named.
The officer also alleged that some of their seniors and persons with political backing are out to take revenge on them, and that this has created a stressful working environment.
"I was doing my duty. I noticed the dumping of the gravel even before I received the permission letter from the DFO. As per the rules, non-forest activities are not permitted inside the reserve forest. We don't even allow the dumping of soil on the roads leading to tribal hamlets. A stretch of laterite rockway was filled with outside soil without any concerns about the environment," Anil Kumar told TNM.
He also said that he's ready to move to Attapady as he's worked there for years, but that he's not ready to be transferred for this reason. He added that efforts are still being made to get him transferred.
The Kerala High Court had ordered an enquiry by the Central government in the issue. HC judge Shaji P Chalihad had observed in the order that the dumping of gravel in the forest area and making the road and the area more marshy "has interfered substantially with the natural environment and the bio-diversity in the area."
In the counter affidavit, the DFO had argued that the Forest Department was planning for a coup road through the area and that the dumping of the soil has helped them.
However, the HC had criticised the argument and said, " I do not think, the forest officials, after granting permission, were careful enough to undertake frequent inspections in the area for eliminating unnecessary interferences so as to materially affect the ecosystem."
The court had also ordered the forest officials to repair all the damages caused within four months.
Speaking to TNM, Angels Nair, the petitioner, said that the damage caused cannot be corrected. "The soil was dumped on top of the laterite rocky area. The pores in such rocks are helpful in absorbing the water. The soil that has covered the rocks cannot be taken back, it's mixed with the forest soil," he said.
A committee appointed by the Centre had visited the area for investigation in August. Some officers alleged that they were under pressure to give statements in favour of the DFO to the Central committee.
An officer also alleged that in a report submitted to the Central committee, some of the details were intentionally omitted by senior officers.
Lashing out at the officers who granted permission for the shoot, Angels Nair said that this road now enables miscreants to enter the forest easily and use it as a hangout place for drinking alcohol.
"There are a lot of broken alcohol bottles now in the area. Miscreants are easily coming in their vehicles to the forest," he said.
There was also controversy over the plastic waste dumped inside the forest by the shooting team.
"A lot of plastic waste was dumped in the area. When the controversy erupted, one day, the DFO along with some workers came here and cleaned it up ," an officer said.
The Central committee has submitted the report to the Union ministry and the report will be produced before the Kerala HC by the end of October.
The Khalid Rahman directorial Unda was released on June 14.
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