Minister promises exclusion of inhabited and agricultural areas from Ecologically Sensitive Area
The Kerala government is working to exclude inhabited and agricultural lands from the proposed Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) in the Western Ghats. Officials are preparing a comprehensive response to the Union Ministry to protect local livelihoods before the notification deadline.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing tension between environmental conservation efforts and the socio-economic needs of local farming communities in India.
The Kerala government is taking steps to ensure the complete exclusion of inhabited and agricultural areas from the proposed Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) in the Western Ghats, Agriculture Minister T. Siddique has said.
According to Mr. Siddique, the Centre’s seventh draft ESA notification, issued on July 25, covers 9,993.7 sq. km across 131 villages in Kerala. The 60-day period for submitting objections and suggestions to the draft notification will end on September 24, and the State will submit a comprehensive response to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change within the stipulated period, he said at a press conference.
The government intends to have more than 30 villages completely removed from the proposed ESA list. In the remaining villages, it will seek the exclusion of inhabited areas and agricultural land from the ESA limits, Mr. Siddique said.
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