Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Friday sought clarification on the licence granted to Pee Vee Aar Nature “O” park in Kakkadampoyil, owned by MLA P.V. Anvar.   

Earlier this week, Koodaranji panchayath granted a licence to the controversial park after charging a licence fee of Rs 7 lakhs and paying revenue recovery dues of 2.5 lakhs.

In the backdrop of the events, Justice Viju Abraham has now sought an explanation of the developments. The court has asked the panchayath officials to specify on what grounds it issued a licence to the park. The court also opined that permission should have been granted only after a detailed study. 

The court also wanted more information on the type of licence issued and the activities inside the park. The high court has demanded an affidavit from PV Anvar and the officials of the Koodaranji panchayath. 

The court expressed amusement over the speed at which the officials wrapped up the process and issued the licence in a day. 

Meanwhile, a petition filed by TV Rajan, the former general secretary of Kerala River River Protection Council, is currently under the consideration of the court. The petitioner has demanded to scrap the order issued to reopen the park, which was shut down following a landslide in 2018. 

Rajan argued that the park should only be allowed to reopen after a detailed study. He has also pleaded with the court to demolish all the illegal constructions in the area. Amidst this development, the panchayath renewed the licence. 

In the past, the park was found to have been functioning without a valid licence for almost six months. The court had then wondered how a park could be operated without a licence. The Panchayath authorities responded that the documents submitted by the park for the licence application had some issues and were duly returned. 

The council of Anvar and the state government informed the court that the park was operating under the provision of a 'deemed licence' because the panchayat failed to make a decision on the application within 30 days. However, the licence only permits operating the children's recreational play area and garden of the water theme park. 

Anvar, MLA from Nilambur, had approached the state government requesting permission to reopen the water-theme park, which was closed down following the landslides in 2018. Based on his request, the government had tasked the State Disaster Management Authority to look into the matter. As per the findings, the government decided to allow the reopening of the children's park. Further, the order released by the state government also clearly mandated that the park should function within steel fencing installed in the area. The owner was also asked to ensure that the park does not encompass the water rides.