No forcible acquisition of farmers’ land under environmental laws, Keralam to push Centre to restrict ESA notification to 98 villages: Forest Minister
Kerala's Forest Minister has assured farmers that their land will not be forcibly acquired for environmental protection and that the state will push to limit Ecologically Sensitive Areas to 98 villages. The government also plans to implement a three-tier security system and AI-based monitoring to mitigate human-wildlife conflict.
Why it matters
Balancing environmental conservation with the livelihoods of farmers in forest-fringe areas is a major policy challenge in India.
Forest Minister Shibu Baby John has assured farmers’ organisations that farmers’ land in Keralam would not be forcibly acquired under any environmental protection laws.
Speaking at a discussion with representatives of farmers’ organisations from forest fringe areas on measures to mitigate human-wildlife conflict and other issues in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, the Minister said that any acquisition of land, if found unavoidable, would be carried out only after providing compensation.
Mr. John added that the State government would exert pressure on the Centre to limit the area under the Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) notification to 98 villages in the State. The government has also decided to ensure that human settlements, agricultural land and plantation areas were completely excluded from the ESA limits, he informed the meeting.
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