Green groups demand action over threats to Idukki Collector

Ten environmental organisations in Kerala have called for an end to what they describe as a smear campaign and threats directed at the Idukki District Collector, Dinesan Cheruvatt, for implementing Supreme Court and High Court orders.

In a statement, the groups said the Collector was merely carrying out the Supreme Court's direction to remove illegal fences, walls and other obstructions on government revenue land occupied by forest encroachers, land mafias and certain religious organisations, particularly those blocking elephant corridors. They also cited the Kerala High Court's directive to remove illegal constructions in five panchayats.

The organisations urged the State government to initiate contempt of court proceedings against those who have allegedly issued threats against the Collector, who also chairs the Idukki District Disaster Management Authority. Among those named in the statement were MLAs, an MP, the Idukki Diocese and the Marxist party.

Emails making these demands were sent to the Chief Minister, the Forest Minister, the Revenue Minister, the Chief Secretary, and the secretaries of the Revenue and Forest departments. The groups called for adequate protection for the Collector.

Describing the order issued by Mr. Cheruvatt on September 23, 2026 as historic, the organisations said it would determine the future of environmental sustainability and the rule of law in Kerala.

They alleged that when the legality of commercial establishments, resorts and other illegal structures built across wildlife corridors is questioned, those responsible attempt to frame the issue as one affecting ordinary believers and farmers. A political-Church alliance is mobilising the public to protect vested interests, the statement claimed.

The organisations said the State government should not tolerate the practice of personally targeting government officials to protect vote banks or of creating fear and communal divisions to intimidate public institutions. No diocese or Church authority could claim to be above the law, they added, remarking that Idukki is not an independent nation.

Traditional elephant corridors have been blocked by large resorts, tourism infrastructure and concrete walls, forcing elephants into farms and human settlements, the groups said. They argued that the reluctance of Church leaders and politicians to acknowledge that elephants will continue to enter inhabited areas unless such obstructions are removed stems from an attempt to protect commercial interests.

The organisations also sought greater transparency in the ongoing joint inspections by the Revenue, Forest and Local Self-Government departments, and urged authorities to keep the public informed about their findings.

They appealed to Church leaders and politicians to refrain from unnecessarily intervening in environmental matters and misleading the public. The groups 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.