Thiruvananthapuram, September 2: Kerala is intensifying its efforts to ensure that homes, farms, and plantations remain outside the proposed Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) in the Western Ghats. The state government is preparing to present a new proposal to the central government, seeking a significant reduction in the size of the designated area for protection.
Environment Minister Saji Joseph stated on Tuesday that the government is fully committed to safeguarding the interests of the people, especially farmers, while also protecting environmentally significant regions.
This issue stems from the controversy following the Kasturirangan report, which initially proposed designating an area of 13,108 square kilometers across 123 villages in Kerala as ESA.
The proposal faced widespread opposition, primarily due to fears that this classification would negatively impact populated areas and agricultural land.
Subsequently, Kerala conducted a comprehensive study through the Oommen V. Oommen committee and submitted its recommendations to the central government.
After the state’s intervention, the central government’s draft notification from March 2014 reduced the proposed ESA area to 9,993.7 square kilometers.
This area included 9,107 square kilometers of forest and 886.7 square kilometers of non-forest land.
Since then, the state has consistently argued that populated areas, agricultural land, and plantations should be completely excluded from this designation.
Despite multiple draft notifications being issued, the figure of 9,993.7 square kilometers remained unchanged.
Later, Kerala submitted a new proposal to further reduce the ESA area to 8,590.69 square kilometers, including only 98 villages.
The central government requested additional information, after which the state provided spatial files and other relevant data.
However, the latest draft notification did not incorporate the changes requested by Kerala.
The government is now preparing another detailed proposal, which will include amendments to the latest draft and demand the complete exclusion of populated areas, agricultural land, and plantations.
A departmental report has already been prepared, proposing to exclude 33 villages entirely.
This matter has also become a topic of high-level discussions between Kerala and the central government.
A team of senior officials from the central government held discussions in the state, and a meeting was chaired by Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, attended by ministers of environment, forests, revenue, and agriculture, as well as the chief secretary and senior officials.
Kerala has argued that its geographical conditions are fundamentally different from many other states, as it has limited land, a high population density, and significant human habitation alongside forests.
The state has also pointed out that stringent environmental laws and regulations are already in place. Therefore, the government’s challenge is to balance environmental protection with the livelihood and housing concerns of the densely populated state.
For Kerala, the debate over the ESA is no longer just about how much land should be protected. It is about where to draw the line between safeguarding the Western Ghats and protecting the people who have lived and farmed its slopes for generations.
The government has stated that it will continue discussions with the central government and strive to reach a decision that protects both Kerala’s fragile environment and the interests of its people.
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