No consensus: Centre considers phased Western Ghats Sensitive Area designation

The Centre is preparing for a phased procedure to earmark the ecologically sensitive area (ESA) belt in the Western Ghats after almost a decade of failure to reach consensus.

According to sources, the Centre is considering notifying ESA in those states or possibly specific areas in the six states where there is obvious consensus to initiate the ESA process.

Kerala has 9,993.7 sq km ESA, Gujarat 449 sq km, Maharashtra 17,340 sq km, Goa 1,461 sq km, Karnataka 20,668 sq km, and Tamil Nadu 6,914 sq km, according to the July 31 draft notification.


Almost all six states have sought decrease in the aforesaid area and inclusion/exclusion of certain villages during discussions with the panel chaired by former DG Forests Sanjay Kumar.

STATES' STAND

The Centre's five-member expert panel, which is expected to submit its report next month end, has been actively engaging with the six Western Ghat states on discrepancies or information gaps in the draft notification vis a vis ground mapping.

Meetings are being held on a weekly basis to reconcile data as well as suggestions received from the state governments to pave the way for a phased notification process.

The expert panel is clear that every exclusion proposal must be a fool proof one that can pass court scrutiny if necessary. It also wants to maintain the continuity of the Western Ghat ESA and avoid fragmentation to ensure biodiversity protection, ET has gathered.

The phased ESA declarations will, therefor, depend on the extent of data sharing by states to back their proposals.

ET gathers that Maharashtra has shared considerable detail with the panel which will make it easier to address discrepancies (with respect to the Kasturirangan panel recommendations) and address the state's ESA inclusion/exclusion requests.

At the other end of the spectrum is Karnataka which has hardly sent in any information to the expert panel to take ahead the discussions on the 20,668 sq km proposed as ESA for the state. Karnataka, in fact, had taken a strong line on the issue earlier from outrightly rejecting the ESA regime to seeking compensation for imposing ESA restrictions, given its mining interests.

Kerala has also sought even more reduction in ESA area. The Centre had agreed to the previous decrease proposed in the ESA in Kerala from the 12,477 sq km proposed by the Kasturirangan panel to 9,993 sq km.