High ranges of Kottayam mobilise against proposed ESA tag
Settler families in Kottayam are protesting the inclusion of their villages in the Centre’s latest draft notification for Ecologically Sensitive Areas in the Western Ghats. Residents fear that the designation will impose restrictive land-use regulations on their agricultural plantations and hinder local development.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing tension between environmental conservation efforts and the livelihoods of rural agricultural communities in India.
With just two weeks left in the 60-day window for filing objections and suggestions to the Centre’s seventh draft notification on Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs) in the Western Ghats, hundreds of settler families in the high ranges of Kottayam are bracing for a fresh battle to keep their homes and plantations out of the proposed ESA.
The four villages of Koottikkal, Melukavu, Poonjar Thekkekkara and Teekoy, all in the Poonjar Assembly constituency, are now on the proposed ESA map after being included in the draft notification issued on July 27.
The proposal, estimated to affect around 70,000 people, has prompted residents, local bodies and various organisations including the Catholic church to step up their campaign against the move.
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