Min’s son-in-law surrenders in case over road in reserve forest

COIMBATORE: Tourism Minister K Ramachandran’s son-in-law surrendered before the Judicial Magistrate Court in Kotagiri Thursday after booked by the Forest department for levelling a road inside the reserve forest in Kil Kotagiri in the Nilgiris forest division.

D Siva Kumar (50) had allegedly taken up road works for around two kilometres to his private tea estate in the Medanad forest area without prior permission from the Forest department.

The estate manager Balakrishnan (35) besides two drivers of road rollers Umar Farook (26) from Assam and Pankaj Kumar Singh (38) from Bihar were arrested by Forest department a few days ago under TN Forest Act, 1882, and Forest Conservation Act, 1980. The heavy machinery used for road laying was also seized.

However, with conservations seeking action against the owner of the estate, a notice was served to Siva Kumar. He was later booked.

After Siva Kumar claimed to be unaware of the road works carried out in his absence, Judicial Magistrate Vanitha granted him bail.