70 cases against temple devotees for flouting rules in tiger reserve
During the temple festival days, the forest department has registered 50 cases added deputy director
By : m. aruloli
Update: 2015-08-18 05:36 GMT
Tirunelveli: Around 70 cases have been registered against the Sorimuthaiyanar temple devotees for violation of forest regulation in Tirunelveli district said Kanchana, deputy director, project tiger of Ambasamudram in Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger reserve (KMTR) area.
Responding to a photo of a wild deer eating the polythene paper wastes thrown in huge quantity by the devotees during the ten-day long Sorimuthaiyanar temple festival at the Karayar reserved forests within the core area of KMTR at the Papanasam hills in Tirunelveli district, the forest official said that the devotees, despite strict monitoring, brought in banned materials like polythene bags and even liquor bottles that got heaped up in the reserve forest area after the devotees left the temple on Aug 16.
The deputy director however added that during the temple festival days, the forest department has registered 50 cases in the Mundanthurai range for damaging the rarest cacti species, ‘Euphorbia Susanholmesiae’ that is said to be found only at Karayar hills in the world, besides bringing into the forest banned polythene bags and liquor bottles.
He said 20 more cases have been registered for violation of forest rules in the Papanasam range, adding, the forest officials in coordination with the volunteers would be involved in a special cleaning programme around the So rimuthaiyanar temple area on Aug 19 to clear the huge waste left by the devotees.