R Haldorai Green activists have opposed political support for encroachers as they have reduced green cover in the Nilgiris CANDIDATES from all political parties have promised to resolve the section 17 (janmam) forest lands problem and issue pattas to convince the electorate of Gudalur and Pandulur taluks of the Nilgiris district even as the forest officials are committed to protecting the lands for preserving the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve. A Raja, IT Minister and DMK candidate for the Nilgiris parliamentary constituency, who started the election campaign much earlier, has already assured voters that he would take steps to settle the issue as per the law. His arch rival, MDMK candidate Dr C Krishnan, has also hinted that he will make serious endeavours to end the long pending issue and fight for pattas for those settled in janmam lands. At a public meeting in support of Krishnan at Gudalur on Sunday, MDMK leader Vaiko spoke in favour of providing pattas for the lands Interestingly, DMDK candidate S Selvaraj and BJP candidate S Gurumurthy, too, are luring voters in Gudalur and Pandalur belts bordering, raising the same issue. Sitting Nilgiris MP R Prabhu and a number of local CPM leaders have also been doing the same. However, local environmentalists are opposing political support for encroachers saying that any hill station must have 66 percent forest cover over the total area. The green cover in the Nilgiris hill district has come down drastically during the last 30 years due to indiscriminate felling of trees and encroachments, particularly in Gudalur belt. According to sources from environmentalists and forest officials, about 40,000 families have occupied the janmam lands without pattas. The lands have been converted into tea and coffee estates and these occupants have called themselves small farmers and have formed a small farmers association. Most of the occupants are Keralites, Sri Lankan repatriates, Kannadigas and others from the southern districts of Tamil Nadu who had come to Gudalur to work as estate labourers.