South Wayanad DFO Ajith K Raman has issued a statement saying the state Forest Department was not undertaking any construction work in the Kuruva Islands. The DFO's statement comes in the wake of a High Court order calling to stop all ongoing construction works in the ecologically sensitive area.

Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Gopinath P had on June 26 issued the order declaring any work on the islands that falls under the Chethalayam Forest Range is to be undertaken only upon obtaining a nod from the court. The order was a sequel to a petition against allowing construction activities on the islands, which restricted the Forest Department.

Earlier, the Ministry of Environment and Forests had sanctioned the Rs 2 crore project under the Nagaravan (Urban Forests) Yojana on the Kuruva Islands. Further, Rs 1.4 crore was allotted by the Forest Department for the project aimed at establishing basic amenities for tourists who visit the Centre.

The DFO's press note said that the project had been planned outside the eco-sensitive zone without causing any harm to the environment. The department had signed an MoU with the Kerala Police Housing and Construction Corporation Limited, which quoted the lowest rate. But after the agency failed to begin work due to technical reasons, the South Wayanad Division returned Rs 82.50 lakhs, the DFO's release said.