Solar fence plan threatens up to 20,000 trees in Kerala’s Chalakudy forest

Up to 20,000 trees could be felled as the Kerala Forest Department prepares a solar‑powered electric fence across the Chalakudy Forest Division. The fence is planned to stretch about 38 km, with roughly 30 km running through the Pariyaram range and the remaining 8 km in Vellikulangara. The Animals and Nature Ethics Community (ANEC) Trust lodged two complaints with the Supreme Court‑appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC). The first complaint says tree marking and felling along a 30‑km stretch began without any statutory clearance and that the project was broken into smaller pieces to avoid a cumulative impact review. The second complaint alleges that 0.84 hectares of forest at Nayarangadi were illegally diverted for a school playground, involving quarrying, rock removal and the cutting of hundreds of trees, including sandalwood, with questionable timber valuation and auction. ANEC’s legal representative T.S. Santhosh said more than 6,000 trees have been assigned serial numbers and about 20,000 could be impacted, questioning the need for such large‑scale removal when existing clearings or altered alignments might suffice. The CEC has ordered the Forest Department and the Vigilance and Anti‑Corruption Bureau to submit a joint response. When approached, Divisional Forest Officer Joseph Thomas told The Hindu that the project is still in the planning stage, no work is underway and no marking is being done. Environmental groups have urged the department to provide complete records, seek an independent expert assessment and allow a VACB inquiry to identify any violations and hold responsible officials accountable.

Context

Solar‑powered fences are promoted to reduce clashes between people and elephants, but cutting large numbers of mature trees can break wildlife corridors, affect drainage and damage habitats. Any such project normally requires a detailed ecological impact study to balance safety goals with forest conservation.