Keralam to seek exclusion of inhabited areas, farms, plantations from ESA: Minister

Kozhikode: Keralam Minister Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the state would press for the exclusion of inhabited areas, agricultural lands and plantations from the Ecologically Sensitive Area proposed in the Centre's latest draft notification.

Speaking to reporters, Joseph said the state was finalising its response to the draft notification issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on July 27 and would submit its recommendations within the stipulated timeframe.

"The Government of Keralam is committed to studying and submitting amendment proposals and protecting the best interests of the state," the Environment minister said.


Also read: Keralam child rights panel seeks removal of sugar from anganwadi nutri mix

He said the state had recently held detailed discussions with a five-member high-level team of scientists appointed by the Union Environment Ministry to consult states on the issue.

The discussions were held under the leadership of Chief Minister V D Satheesan and attended by Joseph, Forest Minister Shibu Baby John, Revenue Minister AP Anilkumar and Agriculture Minister T Siddique, besides the chief secretary and the Environment department secretary, he said.

"We presented Keralam's demands quite extensively through dialogue. We have received a favourable response to a certain extent," Joseph said.

He said the government was now preparing the final documents to be submitted to the Centre and would send the report as soon as possible.

"Our primary demand is to exclude inhabited areas, agricultural lands and plantations from the Ecologically Sensitive Area," the minister said.

Joseph said the extent of ESA proposed for Keralam had been reduced over the years following studies conducted by the state.

"Under the Kasturirangan report, 123 villages covering 13,108 sq km had been proposed as ESA. The proposal included forests, inhabited areas, plantations and agricultural lands within these villages," he said.

Following widespread protests across Keralam, the then Oommen Chandy government appointed the Oommen V Oommen Committee to conduct village-level studies and recommend modifications, he said.

Based on those studies, the Centre subsequently reduced the proposed ESA to 9,993.7 sq km, excluding human habitations and agricultural lands.

The 9,993.7 sq km area was notified in 2014, and the same extent was included in the 2026 draft notification, Joseph said.

Of the 9,993.7 sq km, 9,107 sq km comprises forest areas and 886.7 sq km comprises non-forest areas, he said.

Joseph said further studies conducted by Keralam had now brought down the state's proposed ESA to 8,590 sq km covering 98 villages, with inhabited areas, agricultural lands and plantations excluded.

"Re-adjusting it in this manner forms the core of our application," Joseph said.

He said Keralam's case was based on its limited geographical area and high population density.

"Keralam has a population density of 1,000 people per square kilometre. Compared to Tamil Nadu or Karnataka, Keralam's population density is double," he said.

Joseph pointed out that Keralam had an official forest cover of 29.15 per cent and that wildlife sanctuaries and other protected areas already imposed various restrictions in the state.

"Therefore, for Keralam's development needs and to improve the living conditions of the people in high-density Keralam, reasonable restrictions must be reduced as much as possible," he said.

The minister said Keralam already had several laws and regulations aimed at protecting ecologically sensitive areas, including the Paddy Land and Wetland Act and Coastal Regulation Zone norms.

"On the basis of all these laws, we are committed to protecting Keralam's ecological zones and environmental significance," he said.

However, the state would insist that inhabited areas, agricultural lands and plantations should not be included in the ESA, he said.

"The state's specific concerns will be submitted and argued strongly and precisely, backed by figures, drawings, maps and cadastral maps," Joseph said.

He claimed that Keralam had undertaken a detailed and structured exercise to demarcate ESA areas through physical verification and that its efforts had been recognised in successive notifications issued by the Centre.