Supreme Court mulls paramilitary to evict encroachers in Tamil Nadu forests

Frustrated with the Tamil Nadu government's failure to evict encroachers in the Agasthyamalai landscape, the Supreme Court has proposed using paramilitary forces to clear protected areas. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta noted that encroachments in the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve and Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary have persisted for decades despite court orders.

An interim report by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) found 427.40 hectares encroached in Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary, 5,071.27 hectares by 4,595 individuals in Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve, and 10.16 hectares by 998 families in Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. The CEC flagged that 118 encroachers are serving or retired government employees, including army, police and forest department personnel. The court ordered disciplinary action against them and a moratorium on welfare schemes and infrastructure in encroached areas.

The Tamil Nadu government admitted challenges including resistance from encroachers and ongoing litigation. The court said rehabilitation difficulties cannot justify indefinite postponement of eviction. It also banned new non-forestry activity in Agasthyamalai. The new government led by C. Joseph Vijay faces the task of evicting thousands of families and restoring forests, with both major Dravidian parties in opposition likely to resist.