An aerial view of the stream-turned-drainage in question at PVR Naturo Resorts at Kakkadampoyil in Kozhikode.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Kozhikode District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh has directed the PVR Naturo Resort management at Kakkadampoyil to demolish all constructions in the resort that hinder the flow of a natural stream. The Collector has cited the possibility of a disaster during the rainy season.
The Collector’s orders came against the backdrop of several landslips that rocked the upland regions of the district in recent times. The order is also in adherence to a Kerala High Court order dated March 18, 2024 on a complaint filed by T.V. Rajan, general secretary of Green Movement.
The Collector has asked the resort management to demolish the constructions within a month, failing which the secretary of Koodaranhi grama panchayat will take action and charge the management for the expenses.
The Collector clarified that he was convinced that the construction obstructed the flow of the natural stream, and that it could lead to a disaster. Under the Kerala Irrigation (Water Conservation) Act of 2023, water sources such as rivers, streams, lakes, and canals as well as the water in them were the property of the government and, hence any private individual or establishment causing obstruction to their flow can be punished.
The battle against illegal constructions at PVR Naturo Resorts owned by P.V. Anwar, MLA, began in 2018 when Murugesh Narendran from Kollam approached the Kozhikode district administration against the unauthorised constructions and bunds. The village officer and the grama panchayat secretary of Koodaranhi had given statements that the bunds were unauthorised, but the complaint was neglected.
Mr. Rajan, who was the general secretary of the All Kerala River Protection Committee, approached the High Court on December 22, 2020, resulting in the court giving the Collector two months to resolve the issue. Then Collector N. Tej Lohit Reddy ordered the demolition on August 30, 2021.
But the case went through further complications when Mr. Anwar sold the resort to Shafeek Alungal. However, on January 19, 2023, the court stood by its earlier order to demolish the bunds within a month.
Mr. Rajan once again approached the High Court claiming that the resort management had covered up the stream after the court’s previous order to demolish the four bunds, upon which the court issued a fresh order to the Collector based on which the recent proceedings took place.
The Collector had held a hearing on June 12 and July 17. However, representatives of the resort management failed to turn up. Mr. Rajan, the Thamarassery tahsildar, the village officer, and the panchayat secretary attended the hearing and provided necessary documents and proofs. The Collector took into account their claims, proofs and records of previous orders to demolish the bunds before coming up with the latest order.
