Plantation corporation’s continued possession of over 3,900 ha of lease-expired forestland ‘unauthorised,’ Kerala Forest department tells CEC
The Kerala Forest Department has informed the Central Empowered Committee that the Plantation Corporation of Kerala is occupying over 3,900 hectares of forestland with expired leases. The petition calls for an investigation into the ecological impact of these operations, particularly regarding pineapple cultivation and wildlife corridors.
Why it matters
The case addresses critical tensions between commercial land use and environmental conservation in protected forest areas.
The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) constituted by the Supreme Court has sought a detailed response from the Kerala Forest department on allegations of the continued occupation and commercial use of more than 3,900 hectares of lease-expired Reserved Forest (RF) by the Plantation Corporation of Kerala Ltd. (PCK), including for pineapple cultivation by private parties.
During a hearing on July 20, 2026, on a petition filed by T.J. Krishnan, president of the Ecological Conservation Society, North Paravur, the Kerala Forest department apprised the CEC that the land concerned was “lease-expired RF lands” and that PCK’s continued possession of the land and plantation operations were “unauthorised.”
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