21-05-2025
Complaints lodged with Collector over alleged disappearance of earthmover
The Sarovaram Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi and the Vazhathuruthy Residents' Association have lodged separate complaints with the District Collector, alleging irresponsibility on the part of Revenue officials over the disappearance of an earthmover that was under the custody of the Revenue department and its subsequent recovery.
The earthmover in question had been confiscated in November 2024 in connection with the alleged destruction of mangroves in the Kottooli wetlands and an attempt to construct a road. For over a month, it could not be moved from the site as one of its tyres had got stuck in the mud. It was later shifted to a nearby plot, where it was to be detained until further notice. However, the earthmover reportedly disappeared on the night of May 16. It was found behind an auditorium near Sarovaram Bio Park three days later.
Officials from the Vengeri village office inspected the earthmover and instructed its owners to present it at the office by Wednesday (May 21, 2025).
Meanwhile, the Sarovaram Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi alleged that Revenue officials showed no concern for the property they had confiscated. 'They [the officials] shifted the blame, claiming it was the responsibility of the police to look after the earthmover. However, the Nadakkavu police said they had not received any such intimation from the Revenue department,' said P.M. Jeejabai, secretary of the Vazhathuruthy Residents' Association.
The Samithi questioned the need to repair a vehicle that was not meant to be used any time soon, as it had been legally confiscated.
Tension has been brewing at Vazhathuruthy over the past few months between residents and alleged encroachers of the wetland over attempts to clear mangroves and fill parts of the Kottooli wetlands, a proposed Ramsar site. So far, three earthmovers have been confiscated by the Revenue department for activities that violated the Kerala Paddy and Wetland Protection Act.
