The tree-felling row in connection with the Mullaperiyar Dam took a fresh turn on Wednesday evening with the Kerala government revoking the controversial order issued on November 5.
The state has blamed the officials concerned for not consulting the matter with the government. The cabinet revoked the order on the grounds that it violated the norms of Union Ministry of Environment and Forest.
The order that had been issued last Friday came to light after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin sent a letter thanking the Kerala government for granting permission to fell 15 trees near the baby dam.
Earlier on the day, the incidents that transpired before the Forest Department issued the order had acquired a Rashomon-like quality. Like the Akira Kurosawa film, the perspective had changed with the narrator.
On November 8, forest minister A K Saseendran said in the Assembly that the meeting of the Mullaperiyar Supervisory Committee held on February 19 had recommended a joint inspection of Tamil Nadu and Kerala forest officials. "But a joint inspection is yet to take place," he said.
When the proof of the joint inspection conducted on June 11 was out, Saseendran conceded that he made a mistake. He made the necessary correction in the Assembly records on Wednesday.
Now, it was the turn of the Irrigation Department to wash its hands of the issue.
Opposition Leader V D Satheesan told the Assembly on Wednesday that the joint inspection was carried out on the basis of a decision taken at the 14th meeting of the Mullaperiyar Supervisory Committee in which Kerala is represented by the Additional Chief Secretary (Irrigation).
Power minister K Krishnankutty, who stood in for Water Resources minister Roshy Augustine, said that only Kerala's forest officials were part of the joint inspection. He left out the fact that the inspection of the dam premises was facilitated by the Irrigation Department.
He also passed the entire responsibility of conceding Tamil Nadu's request to the Forest Department.
Krishnankutty said that during the inter-state video conference held on September 17 it was recorded in writing that the Forest Department was processing the request of Tamil Nadu to cut down trees near the baby dam.
He said the additional Chief Secretary (Irrigation) had only asked the Forest Department to expedite the permission to cut the 15 trees as Tamil Nadu had made an online request also. He made it sound as though it was a casual, informal request.
On the other hand, the Chief Wildlife Warden, in his explanation to the government, said that the Irrigation additional Chief Secretary had repeatedly told him, once over the phone on October 26 and then during an informal meeting at the additional CS's chamber on November 1, to quickly grant the permission to fell the trees.
Causing more confusion, Water Resources minister Roshy Augustine told reporters in Pala on Wednesday that no meeting had taken place on November 1. "I personally talked to the additional CS and he said no such meeting was convened in his chamber on November 1. Officials of the Irrigation Department had not taken part in the joint inspection either, " Roshy said.
The Opposition leader said the two ministers (forest minister Saseendran and power minister Krishnankutty who read out Roshy's statement in the Assembly) had contradicted each other.
"They are insulting the House and misleading the public," Satheesan said.
In fact, on November 8, not only did Saseendran feign ignorance of the joint inspection but also stated that the government came to know of the tree-felling move only on November 6 (the day Tamil Nadu CM Stalin sent a thank you note to Pinarayi Vijayan).
The power minister's statement on Wednesday demonstrated that at least the Irrigation Department was aware of the joint inspection since June this year.
