KC(M) to take up concerns regarding forest Bill directly with CM

Amid mounting criticism and widespread dissent over the Kerala Forest Bill, 2024, the Kerala Congress, a key constituent of the LDF in central Travancore, is preparing to take up the matter directly with the Chief Minister. Party sources revealed that KC chairman Jose K. Mani, who was scheduled to attend a meeting of the party’s Thiruvananthapuram district committee on Monday, will meet Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to seek a review of contentious provisions in the Bill. The Bill, aimed at amending the Kerala Forest Act, 1961, has sparked alarm among settler farmers living on forest fringes, a critical voter base for the KC. “Section 63 of the proposed amendment, which grants forest officers unchecked powers to arrest without a magistrate’s order or warrant, is particularly troubling,” pointed out a senior KC leader. “This provision essentially gives forest officials the authority to arrest any farmer without judicial intervention, a move that fosters bureaucratic overreach.” The move comes at a time when the KC is finding itself at a crossroads as internal dissent grows among party cadres uneasy with the LDF alliance.