KOCHI: The Kerala State Electricity Board Limited has violated the social forestry rules at Santhivanam by cutting trees without getting the mandatory permission from the district-level expert committee on Social Forestry Department.
“Though Santhivanam is a private land, the KSEBL is carrying out construction works in the area for a public purpose. The high-tension transmission line is for the public hence the area can no longer be considered as private land. Permission from Social Forestry department is mandatory for cutting trees in public land and also for trees to be cut for public purposes,” said Dr. C M Joy, member of the district-level expert committee.
