Western Ghats: States’s submission on ESAs to Centre’s committee based on old surveys
- The Centre’s expert panel tasked with finalizing the extent of eco-sensitive areas (ESA) in the Western Ghats has received submissions
Highlights:
- These submissions were received by Centre’s expert panel broadly based on old ground truthing surveys carried out by state governments.
- The Environment Ministry’s expert panel is currently examining objections and submissions by six states to arrive at a consensus after the Centre last week reissued a draft notification demarcating ESAs in the Western Ghats across 56,825 sq km.
- New mining projects, thermal power plants, sand mining, quarrying, township constructions are banned in villages proposed as ESAs.
- Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu carried out the surveys between 2013 and 2018 to physically verify the extent of villages declared as ESA by Centre in a draft notification based on the K Kasturirangan panel’s report.
- The surveys in the past had shown overlaps, spelling mistakes and gaps with regards to the villages demarcated as ESAs based on the Kasturirangan report.
- Most states, except Gujarat where the spread of ESA proposed (449 sq km) is the smallest, have sought reductions in the area under ESA.
- There has been negligible headway made with Karnataka as they have rejected implementation of the Kasturirangan panel’s recommendations.
- For Kerala, where the devastating Wayanad landslides has brought the focus back, the panel has sought more information from them.
Prelims Takeaway
- ESA