In a follow-up to the recent Supreme Court order on the demarcation of ecologically sensitive zones (ESZ) around protected forests and wildlife sanctuaries, the State government is conferring with the Advocate General to explore the possibility of filing a review petition so that the human habitats on the fringes of protected areas can be excluded from the restrictions.
Addressing the media here on Monday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the government had already written to the Centre on the State’s predicament and was following up the matter. All necessary steps in this regard would be adopted to alleviate the apprehensions of people and protect their livelihoods.
The basic stand of the government was that human habitats be spared from being included in the ecologically sensitive zones. The Union government had been apprised of this in 2020 itself, he said.
It was a recent Supreme Court order which mandated that every protected forest, national park and wildlife sanctuary across the country should have a mandatory eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of minimum 1 km starting from their demarcated boundaries. This had triggered unrest in the high range districts of the State, especially Idukki and Wayanad, where settler farmers dominated. Many development and livelihood activities in the districts were happening close to the demarcated forest boundaries. Public resistance had been building, with farmers’ groups led by the Church demanding that the government enact a legislation to protect their lives and livelihood.
Mr. Vijayan pointed out that the Centre’s notification on ESZ came out in 2011, during the term of the second United Progressive Alliance government. This notification pertained to the restrictions that would be in place within a 10-km radius of national parks and wildlife and bird sanctuaries. It also stated that in areas which were environmentally important, these restrictions might be extended beyond 10 km.
In 2013, the suggestion put forth by the United Democratic Front (UDF) government was that an area of 88.210 sq km in Wayanad be declared as ESZ. In 2020, the State government had also proposed that the same extent of forestland be declared as ESZ.
The government’s suggestion that an extent of 0 to 1 km around the demarcated boundary of wildlife sanctuaries be declared as ESZ was meant to protect human habitats, Mr. Vijayan claimed.
He said that the government’s stance had always been that the extent of human habitation be considered in each locality before demarcating the eco-sensitive zone.
He claimed that if the government had not put up this suggestion last month, as per the 2011 notification the extent of the area that would have to be demarcated as ESZ would have been 10 km. It was reckoned that the Supreme Court mandate would force the State government to revise the ESZ demarcation of at least 10 km of the protected forest areas which were earlier marked as “zero”.
Satheesan flays CM
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan flayed the Chief Minister for his “double standards.” He pointed out that on October 23, 2019, it was the Cabinet headed by Mr. Vijayan himself which approved the decision on demarcating zero to 1 km around protected forest areas as ESZ. And now following the recent Supreme Court mandate on ESZ, it was the same CPI(M) which took the lead to organise a hartal in the high range districts to pull the wool over people’s eyes. It was also the same Chief Minister who claimed that he would approach the court against an order he himself ratified, he said.
