HC notice to govt on lease of forest land to Poabs Plantation

Kochi, June 29 (UNI) The Kerala High Court today issued an urgent notice to the state government on a public interest petition filed by a voluntary organisation against the government ''inaction'' in taking back land leased to Poabs Plantation Pvt. Ltd.

A division bench, comprising Chief Justice H L Dattu and Justice K T Sankaran, issued the notice on a petition filed by 'One Earth One Life', a voluntary organisation from Palakkad, contending that the 99-year-lease of 300 acres of forest land in Nelliampathy to M/s Poabs Plantation Pvt. Ltd. would expire on June 30, 2007.

The counsel for the state submitted that the lease agreement was not going to be renewed.

The petitioner further alleged that Poabs Plantation was involved in illegal activites such as felling and removing of trees and encroaching into the neighbouring forests and was a habitual offender.

Since the land in question is a reserved area, the lease cannot be renewed without getting sanction from the Central Government. No such consent had been obtained from the Centre so far, the petitioner added.

UNI