Thiruvananthapuram: Forest officials in the state have been re-armed. The National Green Tribunal's February 20 order to put on hold the Centre's move to “simplify procedures” for diverting forest land for linear projects has suddenly infused some muscle into the state Forest Department.

At least two major infrastructure projects that were about to be fast-tracked, the Nilambur-Nanjangud rail line and the 400 kv Kaiga-Kozhikode transmission line via Kodagu, will virtually shudder to a halt.

Sabarimala road development, too, will have to pass through severe long-winding processes. Two letters sent by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), one in August 2014 and the other on January 15 this year, had essentially asked the state forest departments to do away with stringent procedures laid down in the Forest Conservation Act for the felling of tress and diversion of forests for linear projects (railways, highways, other roads, power lines, canals and irrigation lines and pipelines).

Instead of seeking a Supreme Court approval, as was the earlier practice, the MoEF under the BJP wanted project proponents to seek permission locally, from an officer not below the rank of a divisional forest officer.

The high-tension Kodagu power line was one of the major national projects that were strongly opposed by Green Peace. The line from Kaiga Atomic Power station in Karnataka to Kasargod will pass through the thick evergreen forests of Brahmagiri and Pushpagiri wildlife sanctuaries.

It is said that over 55,000 trees will have to be axed down for drawing the line to the state. "The project could have gone ahead if a lowly DFO gave his approval. We have also been instructed to grant such clearances in double-quick time," a top Forest Department official said.

The Nilambur-Gudalur Road-Sulthan Bathery-Nanjangud rail line, better known as the Golden IT Corridor, is a railway project to create a broad gauge rail connection from the town of Nanjangud (Karnataka) to Nilambur (Kerala) through forests in Wayanad and Nilagiri in Tamil Nadu.