Periyar Tiger Reserve: Tamil Nadu MLAs’ Drone Move Puts Forest Dept in Spotlight!

A team from Tamil Nadu, which came with some MLAs, flew a drone over the Periyar Tiger Reserve on Saturday. They shot videos of the Mullaperiyar canal and the forest, even though flying drones is totally banned in the protected area.

Idukki: The Kerala Forest Department has decided not to file a case against a team that flew a drone without permission inside the high-security Periyar Tiger Reserve. The team had accompanied a few MLAs from Tamil Nadu.

The department has, however, issued a strict warning to the Tamil Nadu Public Works and Water Resources departments, telling them not to use drones again without getting prior approval. The decision to avoid a legal case was made because it's a sensitive issue that could affect the relationship between the two states.

The incident happened on Saturday. The team from Tamil Nadu used a drone to capture footage of the Mullaperiyar canal and the surrounding forest area. Flying drones and any kind of filming is strictly banned inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve, as it is a protected forest area.

The drone was flown when Periyakulam MLA Sabari Ainkaran, Cumbum MLA Jagannath Mishra, and Public Works Department officials were present. After the incident became a big issue, the Periyakulam MLA deleted the video he had posted on Instagram.

This all happened when Tamil Nadu had raised the shutters of the Mullaperiyar dam to release water for agricultural needs. Before raising the shutters, the Tamil Nadu representatives and officials had also conducted special pujas at the site. The team that accompanied them for this event is the one that illegally filmed aerial shots of the Periyar Tiger Reserve.