The conversion of forestland for pineapple cultivation has adversely affected ‘wildlife movement’ and ‘habitat connectivity’ of the area. A map showing human-elephant conflict and habitat fragmentation in the Athirappilly corridor area. | (PCK), including for pineapple cultivation by private parties.During a hearing on July 20, 2026, on a petition filed by T.J. Krishnan, president of the Ecological Conservation Society, North Paravur, the Kerala Forest department apprised the CEC that the land concerned was “lease-expired RF lands” and that PCK’s continued possession of the land and plantation operations were “unauthorised.”The petitioner alleged that the PCK continues to occupy and use large tracts of RF land despite the expiry of lease and that portions of it had been leased, subleased, licensed or otherwise allotted to private farmers for pineapple cultivation, adversely affecting wildlife habitats and elephant movement corridors.The petition sought directions to examine the legality of the continued occupation of the lease-expired RF land, conduct an independent field inspection of the Kalady Group Plantations and adjoining elephant movement areas, investigate the reported allotment of land to private parties, and assess the ecological impact of pineapple cultivation, fencing and land-modification activities.The society further urged restoration of damaged forest areas, removal of solar fences and other barriers restricting elephant movement, suspension of further pineapple cultivation and related land-development activities, and preparation of a scientifically informed habitat restoration and wildlife corridor management plan. The petitioner has also sought the cancellation of a government order dated April 2, 2025, which permits pineapple cultivation in the lease-expired RF land.During the hearing, Deepak Mishra, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) (Forest Management), Kerala, clarified the Forest department’s position before the CEC.As per the submissions recorded by the CEC, the Forest department stated that portions of the land had been leased, subleased, licensed or otherwise allotted to private parties for pineapple cultivation. It further submitted that pineapple cultivation, fencing and related activities had adversely affected wildlife movement, habitat connectivity, soil stability, water resources and the ecological integrity of the area.The Forest department informed the committee that 3,902.80 ha. (9,644.02 acres) of forestland—3,666.43 ha. in Malayattoor-Idiyara RF and 236.37 ha. in Kodassery RF—had been leased to PCK for 50 years under various government orders issued between 1961 and 1966. A lease deed was executed between the Chief Conservator of Forests and the Managing Director of the PCK on July 9, 1971. The leased forestland falls under three forest divisions, comprising around 2,450 ha in Vazhachal, 1,211 ha in Malayattoor and 239 ha in Chalakudy.After hearing the matter, the CEC directed the PCCF (Forest Management) to examine relevant records and submit a detailed response on the issues raised in the petition within two weeks.Meanwhile, N. Badusha, president of the Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samiti, urged the State government to immediately take back the lease-expired forestland from the PCK. He alleged the PCK had violated the lease conditions by cultivating pineapple and other crops that attract elephants, thereby aggravating human-wildlife conflict. “Restoring the land as forest and removing fences to reopen elephant corridors should be prioritised to mitigate the conflict,” Mr. Badusha added. Published - August 02, 2026 07:54 pm IST
Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala. File | Vibhu The Kerala Government has ordered a re-investigation into the black flag protest by the Kerala Students Union (KSU) activists against former Health Minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leader Veena George at Kannur railway station during the fag end of the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in February. Mr. Chennithala’s office said the government was contemplating either forming a Special Investigation Team headed by a Superintendent of Police or referring the case to the State Police Crime Branch. The protest against Ms. George had precipitated a politically fraught situation, resulting in clashes between CPI(M) and Congress workers in several districts in the State. Ms. George, who had arrived at the railway station under heavy police escort, was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Kannur District Hospital, reportedly with soft tissue injuries to her neck and hand. The CPI(M) and Congress offered conflicting views of the incident, which was recorded on camera by television news crews. The CPI(M) called for State-wide protests, accusing KSU activists of being complicit in an entrenched political conspiracy hatched by the Congress to harm Ms. George, with a view to precipitating a law-and-order situation in Kerala in the run-up to the 2026 Assembly elections. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan spotlighted the issue and sought to put the Congress, then in the Opposition, on the defensive by visiting Ms. George in the hospital’s ICU. CPI(M) State Secretary M.V. Govindan and his Communist Party of India (CPI) counterpart, Binoy Viswam, termed the “mob violence” against Ms George as premeditated and orchestrated by the Congress leadership. In contrast, the then Leader of the Opposition in Kerala and current Chief Minister, V D Satheesan, termed the incident CPI (M)-sponsored political theatre to divert public attention and alter the arc of the political narrative away from other controversies plaguing the LDF government, including the dismal state of public health delivery in Kerala. He alleged that Ms. George, supposedly at the behest of the CPI(M) leadership, had sought to create a political spectacle by getting herself admitted to the ICU to put the United Democratic Front (UDF) opposition in an indefensible position ahead of the declaration of the Assembly polls. Mr Satheesan had also argued that the police cordon had prevented KSU workers from getting close to Ms George and the State had slapped grievous charges on the students out of political spite. Earlier, the KSU had moved the High Court, stating that they were victims of the LDF government’s high-handedness and that the charges against them were demonstrably false, if television news footage of the event was anything to go by. Published - August 02, 2026 11:21 am IST
Home News India Kerala The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for 12 districts; it has warned of heavy rains and the possibility of flash floods, mudslides, and road and neighbourhood inundation Updated - August 02, 2026 10:59 am IST Aluva Manappuram remains waterlogged after heavy rain lashed the region on August 1, 2026. | K. Nithin Kerala braced for the likelihood of heavy rains and flooding on Sunday (August 2, 2026), the latest in a string of stormy days that have wreaked havoc across the State. It has warned of heavy rains and the possibility of flash floods, mudslides, and road and neighbourhood inundation in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasargod districts.Notably, the IMD has not issued any weather alert for Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam. However, it has cautioned fishers from venturing into the rough seas.The Government has ordered respective district administrations to prepare themselves to meet any eventuality. It has also requisitioned the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Kerala State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) units for emergency deployment and stationed them in districts most vulnerable to mudslides and flash floods.Follow the LIVE updates here:August 02, 2026 10:55 Heavy rain in Kerala results in increase in storage level in Mullaperiyar damHeavy rain in the last 24 to 30 hours in many parts of Kerala resulted in a steep increase in the storage level of Mullaperiyar dam yesterday.Officials in the Water Resources Department and the revenue administration said that following heavy rainfall in neighbouring Kerala, the inflow into the Mullaperiyar reservoir rose from 454 cusecs to 1,012 cusecs to 2,649 cusecs to 7,000 cusecs. As a sequel, the storage level went up from 112.45 feet on July 31 to 113.70 ft on August 1 ( 6 a.m. ) and again touched 116 feet by 6 p.m.Heavy rain in Kerala results in increase in storage level in Mullaperiyar dam; Idukki Collector cautions public to avoid night travel on ghat sectionHeavy rain in Kerala results in increase in storage level in Mullaperiyar dam; Idukki Collector cautions public to avoid night travel on ghat sectionAugust 02, 2026 10:45 Kerala floods 2026: cloudburst-like event exposes gaps in State’s weather forecasting, disaster preparednessThe extremely heavy rain that lashed many parts of Kerala under the influence of a depression and an offshore trough resembled a cloudburst in several regions, with torrential downpours occurring over short periods. Although the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has not confirmed that it was a cloudburst, a rain gauge maintained by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) recorded a whopping 361 mm of rainfall at Vadasserikkara in Pathanamthitta in the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 a.m. yesterday.Kerala floods 2026: cloudburst-like event exposes gaps in State’s weather forecasting, disaster preparednessKerala floods 2026 reveal critical failures in weather forecasting and disaster preparedness amid extreme rainfall and insufficient alerts.August 02, 2026 10:40 District administration cancels competition in Kozhikode's Iruvazhinji River The district administration has cancelled all events related to the Malabar River, the annual white-water kayaking competition held on the Iruvazhinji River in Kozhikode, scheduled for today, due to heavy rain and inclement weather. According to official sources, the water levels in the Iruvazhinji River and the Chali River have gone up considerably. All the training sessions there too have been banned. The organisers, contestants and local residents have been barred from venturing to th
Jammu and Kashmir Minister Javed Ahmed Rana. | “No notices will be served by the J&K Forest Department to any member of forest dwellers, whether a Schedule Tribe or any other traditional forest dwellers living for decades. These dwellers will not be disturbed or evicted from the forest under occupation till the process of recognition and verification is complete,” said Mr. Rana.The announcement comes months after the Lok Bhavan and the elected government were at loggerheads over the eviction drive in Jammu’s Sunjwan, Bathindi, Raika, and Sidhra areas in Jammu. The drive had triggered protests by BJP legislators, with the elected government accusing the Forest department of functioning under the directions of the Lok Bhavan. Mr. Rana said the Tribal department, and not the Forest department will be the nodal department for implementing the FRA in J&K.“A three-member Project Monitoring Units has been established. No one will be evicted till a set procedure is followed. All the deputy commissioners will speed up the pending cases under the FRA,” he said. According to the 2011 Census, Jammu and Kashmir has a Scheduled Tribe population of 12.75 lakh, including 8.10 lakh in the Jammu division and 4.64 lakh in the Kashmir division.The Government is pushing hard to implement the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA) and has expedited the process of receiving, verifying and settling claims through the statutory three-tier mechanism.An official circular said the Gram Sabha is the statutory authority responsible for initiating the process of determining the nature and extent of individual and community forest rights under the provisions of Section 6 of the Act.“The Gram Sabha is mandated to receive, scrutinize and verify claims, prepare maps of the recommended claims and forward its recommendations to the Sub-Divisional Level Committee (SDLC) for further examination and decision,” an official spokesman said.Separately, J&K Legislative Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather held a public outreach camp at Kanidajan in the Charar-i-Sharief Constituency. An official spokesman said a major concern was raised by the villagers pertaining to the alleged harassment caused by the eviction notices issued by the Forest Department and the obstruction of agricultural activities on lands, “which have been under their possession and cultivation for generations”.“No one would be allowed to act in violation of the provisions of the FRA. The rights of all eligible beneficiaries under the Act would be protected in letter and spirit adding that no undue harassment of villagers would be tolerated,” said Mr. Rather.The Speaker cautioned that no individual should attempt to misuse the Act as a pretext for fresh encroachments on forest land or government property. “The law must be implemented fairly and transparently while safeguarding the rights of genuine beneficiaries,” he added. Published - August 02, 2026 03:28 am IST
The leopard that was trapped in a cage set up by the Forest department at Mezhukumpara Estate near Mannarkkad on July 28, 2026. A female leopard, presumably four years old, was trapped in a cage set up by the Forest department at Mezhukumpara Estate near Mannarkkad on Tuesday. The leopard had spread panic among residents of Tathengalam, Thenkara and Mezhukumpaara.Forest staff shifted the animal to Mannarkkad divisional forest office. Veterinary doctor David Abraham confirmed that the leopard was healthy. Forest officials said the animal will be released into the forest soon. Published - July 28, 2026 08:55 pm IST
The leopard that was trapped in a cage set up by the Forest department at Chalakudy on Tuesday | The cage had been installed at the house of Chakkalakkal Joy about two weeks ago after the leopard killed several poultry birds on the property.Forest officials reached the spot soon after the animal was captured and said it would be shifted from the area shortly.Further action would be taken in accordance with the department’s wildlife management protocol. Published - July 28, 2026 11:44 am IST
A wild bush covered tea plantation at Vandiperiyar in Idukki | According to officials, the Chief Wildlife Warden recently issued a darting order for the big cat that has been straying into inhabited areas for the past two and a half months. A special Rapid Response Team (RRT) from Wayanad has arrived to be part of the operation.Chief Conservator of Forests D.K. Vinod Kumar said: “the animal is camping in a tea plantation area close to the Ranni Reserve Forest. It frequents the tea plantations in the Hillash, Granby, and Arnakkal areas during the night, moves to the reserve forest, and attacks cattle in the early morning hours. To dart the animal, we need to locate it in daylight. The Forest department team is setting up tree houses in the area to track the big cat’s movements.”The official said abandoned tea estates in the area with thick undergrowth provided easy cover for wildlife, including leopards and tigers. “The large number of cattle present in the Vandiperiyar tea plantation area provides easy prey for these animals. The overgrown tea plantations are the major hurdle faced by the Forest department in completing this operation,” he said.Mr. Kumar said once darted, the big cat would be shifted to a zoo. “This animal was previously released into the forest but returned to human habitations. We will not conduct another such experiment,” the official said.Kottayam Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Praful Agrawal said the special RRT and Forest department officials were closely monitoring the animal’s movements and expressed hope that it would be darted soon.The tiger was initially captured from Munnar and released into the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) on April 2. However, the animal began venturing into human habitations in Thankamala, near Vandiperiyar, during the last week of April. The tiger’s presence has since been reported across the Thankamala, Arnakkal, Granby, and Hillash areas of Vandiperiyar, where it has attacked numerous cattle and terrorised local plantation workers. Published - July 20, 2026 08:16 pm IST
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