ESA row heats up in Pathanamthitta as Keralam government’s proposal offers partial relief

The Keralam government’s move to seek the exclusion of inhabited areas and farmland from the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) regime has failed to soothe tempers in Pathanamthitta amid concerns that the revised proposal offers no complete exclusion for any of the seven villages covered by the Centre’s draft notification.

The State’s list, released by Environment Minister Sunny Joseph last week, proposes excluding 33 villages across seven districts from the ESA regime. None of the seven villages in Pathanamthitta covered by the Centre’s draft notification, however, has been proposed for complete exclusion, leaving the forest-fringe areas facing continued uncertainty.

The Centre’s draft notification covers Chittar, Seethathode, Aruvappulam and Thannithode in Konni taluk, and Vadasserikkara, Perunad and Kollamula in Ranni taluk. With all seven categorised as red zones, residents mounted a strong response, filing thousands of objections, both collectively and individually, seeking their exclusion.