100 acres for ISRO’s space institute

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Cabinet on Wednesday decided to give 100 acres at Thennur village in Thiruvananthapuram district free of cost for the proposed campus of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST). Briefing presspersons on Cabinet decisions, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said the State government would build a road to the site on the Ponmudi hills. The revenue land was part of the land returned to the State by Ponmudi Tea and Rubber Company in 1917. Though the government had offered 125 acres, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which runs the IIST, said that 100 acres would suffice. The Chief Minister said that Forest Divisional Officer N. Balakrishna Pillai who had reported that the land was forest had no right to say so. Officials were making unnecessary statements because the government had taken action against some officials who had aided the Merchiston estate in a land deal with ISRO. The land had trees of up to 30 feet in height. The predominant species were ‘Njaval’ (Jamun) and ‘Chenkurinji’ (Gulta travancorica: it is a species found only in areas south of the Aryankavu pass). full story at :http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/22/stories/2007112250290100.htm