Munnar forest officials book youths for uprooting Neelakurinji flowers
Forest department registers cases against two youths for uprooting Neelakurinji plants in Munnar; plant is protected under law.
The Kerala Forest department has registered criminal cases against two youths for allegedly uprooting Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) plants in the Munnar hills. The action came on Saturday after the individuals posted photographs and videos of themselves with the uprooted flowers on Instagram.
Munnar Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Abhay Yadav said the cases have been filed under the Devikulam and Munnar forest ranges. Officials are now working to identify the accused and determine the exact location where the plants were destroyed.
Neelakurinji is a scheduled species under the Wildlife Protection Act, and damaging it can invite a prison term of up to three years, a fine of up to ₹25,000, or both, Yadav noted.
Botanist Jomy Augustine, an expert on the species, stressed the ecological significance of the plant. Neelakurinji blooms once every 12 years before dying, with seeds falling to the ground to regenerate. If the flowering plants are destroyed now, the next bloom cycle could be lost entirely, he warned.
This year, Neelakurinji has flowered across the Chokramudy hills, Chinnakanal, and Korandakkad areas under the Kanan Devan Hills Plantations, drawing thousands of tourists to the violet-covered slopes. Officials cautioned that large-scale destruction could lead to the local extinction of the species in these zones and said stringent action will be taken against anyone found damaging the plants.