Environmentalists in Kerala see red over appointment of forest department critic to minister’s staff

Kochi: Even as environmentalists continue to protest his appointment as part of forest minister Shibu Baby John’s personal staff, Kuttampuzha native Sijumon Francis, who had been a vocal critic of the forest department, continues to remain in his post.Coexistence Collective, Kerala, had filed a complaint with chief minister V D Satheesan and the forest minister in this regard, demanding his removal. However, John had told TOI that anyone can file complaint, if they have any issues against the forest department.Francis used to criticize the department through multiple social media posts and organize protests against the govt, besides legal action. The collective cited these examples and expressed concern that Francis being a part of the minister’s personal staff would undermine the ecological safeguards in the state.The collective also wrote to leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and other top Congress functionaries raising the same concern. The letter alleged that the forest minister joined hands with the “anti-forest, anti-wildlife business driven quarry, land-mafia lobby”, who claim themselves to be farmers but are basically illegal encroachers.“Sijumon is basically a partner with the encroachment, mining, poaching lobby and their spokesperson, so any attempts by forest department to protect forests or wildlife will only be sabotaged by the Church, their fake-farmer teams,” reads the letter written by the collective.

The collective also criticized the forest minister. “From his very first official interview, the minister categorically asserted that Kerala’s forest cover stands at 29% and claimed that expanding or conserving it further is entirely unnecessary. This statement is factually incorrect. By fabricating a narrative of excessive forest cover, the minister is attempting to justify the relaxation of conservation laws.

Furthermore, his public claims that the wild animal population has exceeded the forest’s carrying capacity are designed to create a pretext to water down the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, in order to satisfy commercial and fringe political interests and dangerous,” the collective added.