Kerala wants 8,590 sq km area in Western Ghats notified as eco-sensitive: Centre

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In a revised connection sent to the Centre earlier this month, the Kerala authorities requested the declaration of 8,590.69 sq km crossed 98 villages and 12 districts arsenic ecologically delicate areas (ESAs) successful the Western Ghats. The country projected for ESA demarcation is 121 sq km smaller than what was submitted to the Centre successful May this year.

Protection of fragile villages crossed the state’s Western Ghats country has been nether the spotlight pursuing the July 30 landslides and mudslides successful Wayanad district’s Chooralmala, Mundakkai and Vellarimala, which killed implicit 400 people. The state’s draught connection connected ESAs sent successful May included 12 villages from Wayanad district, including Vellarimala.

“The Government of Kerala has submitted revised connection connected 02.11.2024, requesting for declaring 8590.69 sq km country successful 98 villages dispersed crossed 29 talukas successful 12 districts arsenic Ecologically Sensitive Area based connected the verification of the suggestions received from the Local Self Government Department,” Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav informed Lok Sabha successful a written connection connected Monday. The curate was responding to a question by V K Sreekandan, MP from Palakkad successful Kerala, connected the declaration of ESAs successful Kerala.

An adept committee of the Centre, headed by Sanjay Kumar, erstwhile Director General of Forest, is appraising authorities authorities proposals and suggestions regarding ESA demarcation successful Western Ghats.

The Centre issued a sixth iteration of the draught notification connected the Western Ghats successful July, demarcating 56,825 sq km arsenic ESA crossed Gujarat, Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. The villages marked arsenic ESA volition spot a implicit prohibition connected mining, quarrying, highly polluting industries, and caller thermal powerfulness plants. This draught notification was based connected the study of a high-level moving radical headed by abstraction idiosyncratic K Kasturirangan.

After the sixth iteration of the Western Ghats draught notification was published, the Centre allowed states 60 days to taxable objections and suggestions. The adept committee has been taking up the proposals and suggestions of antithetic authorities governments. A reliable root said the committee is apt to sojourn Goa connected Tuesday to deliberate connected the state’s submissions connected the ESA issue. Of the 108 villages demarcated arsenic ESA successful Goa, the authorities authorities has sought the exclusion of 21 villages, each of them from Sattari taluka successful North Goa.

In 2013, Kerala projected demarcating 9,993.7 sq km arsenic ESAs based connected the study of a three-member adept panel. Later, successful 2019, it submitted to the situation ministry that it should beryllium reduced to 8,656 sq km. However, the latest draught notification continued with the erstwhile iterations and marked the 9.993.7 sq km country arsenic eco-sensitive.

An award-winning writer with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express successful New Delhi. He chiefly covers biology argumentation matters which impact tracking cardinal decisions and interior workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He besides covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes connected the interaction of biology policies connected wildlife conservation, forestry issues and clime change. Nikhil joined The Indian Express successful 2024. Originally from Mumbai, helium has worked successful publications specified arsenic Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, helium has written connected a scope of subjects specified arsenic sports, existent affairs, civic issues, metropolis centric situation news, cardinal authorities policies and politics. ... Read More

First uploaded on: 25-11-2024 astatine 19:11 IST

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