Ten environmental organisations in Keralam have demanded an end to the alleged smear campaign and threats against the Idukki District Collector for implementing Supreme Court and High Court orders.
In a statement, the organisations pointed out that the Collector was “only carrying out” the Supreme Court order for the removal of illegal fences, walls and other obstructions erected on government revenue land illegally occupied by forest encroachers, land mafias and certain religious organisations, particularly those blocking elephant corridors; and the Kerala High Court’s directive to remove illegal constructions in five panchayats.
The statement said the State government should initiate contempt of court proceedings against those, including “MLAs, an MP, the Idukki Diocese and the Marxist party”, who have allegedly issued threats against Collector Dinesan Cheruvatt, who is also the chairperson of the Idukki District Disaster Management Authority.
He should be extended adequate protection, they stated in emails sent to the Chief Minister, the Forest Minister, the Revenue Minister, the Chief Secretary, and the secretaries of the Revenue and Forest departments.
The order issued on September 23, 2026 by Mr. Cheruvatt is “historic” and will determine the future of environmental sustainability and the rule of law in Keralam, they said.
When the legality of commercial establishments, resorts and other illegal structures built across wildlife corridors is questioned, those responsible attempt to portray the issue as one affecting ordinary believers and farmers. A political-Church alliance is mobilising the public to protect vested interests, the organisations alleged.
The State government should not tolerate the practice of personally targeting government officials to protect vote banks or creating fear and communal divisions to intimidate public institutions into submission. No diocese or Church authority could claim to be above the law. Idukki is “not an independent nation”, they remarked.
Traditional elephant corridors have been blocked by large resorts, tourism infrastructure and concrete walls, forcing elephants into farms and human settlements. The reluctance of Church leaders and politicians to acknowledge the basic reality that elephants will continue to enter inhabited areas unless such obstructions are removed stems from an attempt to protect commercial interests, they said.
They also called for greater transparency regarding the ongoing joint inspections by the Revenue, Forest and Local Self-Government departments, and urged the authorities to keep the public informed about their findings.
The organisations also appealed to Church leaders and politicians to “refrain from unnecessarily intervening” in environmental matters and misleading the public. They called for the scientific restoration of elephant corridors and the installation of AI-based surveillance systems and hanging fences in vulnerable areas to ensure the safety of farmers.
Published – September 25, 2026 02:44 pm IST
