Madurai, Aug 24:
Departmental action has been initiated against 118 government employees allegedly involved in encroachments in the Meghamalai Forest Division, following directions issued by Theni District Collector R Vaithinathan in connection with the long-pending forest land encroachment case.
The move follows a recent hearing in the Supreme Court, where the State government was questioned over compliance with directions to remove encroachments from protected forest areas, including those allegedly involving government employees.
The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has identified 4,601 persons as allegedly occupying 5,072 hectares of forest land in the Meghamalai Forest Division.
Among those identified are 118 persons working in various government departments.
The list includes personnel associated with a wide range of government services, including the CRPF, police, Agriculture Department, anganwadi and noon-meal schemes, village administration, health services, postal services, fair-price shops, hostels, the Electricity Board, schools, rural development, Tasmac and fire services.
The involvement of government employees has assumed particular significance because the Supreme Court has specifically directed the State to take action against government personnel found to have encroached upon protected forest land.
The Collector has now forwarded the list of alleged encroachers to the heads of the respective departments and directed them to initiate appropriate action.
The departments have also been asked to submit action-taken reports at the earliest.
The developments stem from the Supreme Court’s directions on the restoration of forest land in the Meghamalai region.
In its May order, the court directed the Tamil Nadu government to implement a time-bound plan for removing long-pending encroachments in protected forests and restoring the reclaimed land.
The court also indicated that paramilitary assistance could be sought, if required, for implementing the eviction process.
The CEC’s findings have placed the scale of the alleged encroachments in perspective, with thousands of individuals reportedly occupying forest land spread across more than 5,000 hectares.
The presence of government employees among the alleged encroachers has added another dimension to the issue, as public servants are expected to uphold laws governing protected forests and government land.
The latest action is therefore not merely an administrative exercise but part of a larger process aimed at enforcing the Supreme Court’s directions and restoring protected forest areas.
The Collector’s order does not by itself establish guilt against the 118 employees; the individuals have been identified in the CEC’s findings as alleged encroachers and departmental processes will determine the action to be taken in each case.
The State government is now required to demonstrate measurable progress in implementing the court’s directions, including eviction, restoration of reclaimed land and action against government personnel found responsible.
With the Supreme Court monitoring compliance, the focus is expected to remain on whether the eviction process proceeds within the stipulated framework and whether the forest land reclaimed from encroachments is effectively restored and protected from fresh occupation.