NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Environment and Forests has set April 30 as the final deadline for the States along the Western Ghats for submission of reports on demarcation of the ecologically-sensitive areas as per the recommendations of the high-level working group headed by Dr K Kasturirangan to declare 37 per cent of the Ghats as sensitive.
Kerala is the only State among six bordering on the Western Ghats that has promptly filed the submissions while other States have been dragging feet. The ultimatum served on them is, therefore, quite clear that the ministry would go ahead with independent decision to demarcate the boundary of the ecologically-sensitive areas (ESAs) in the States that fail to submit the demarcations they desire.
Goa has the maximum area of ESA zones as recommended by the Kasturirangan group that was set up by the previous UPA government after the concerned States had protested against the Western Ghats Ecology Expert panel led by Dr Madhav Gadgil recommending notification of nearly 75 per cent of the Western Ghats area as ecologically sensitive zone restricting development activities.
The ministry has already accepted the Kasturirangan group’s report for demarcation of the ESA zones in the Western Ghats and it is now under pressure of the National Green Tribunal to declare the ESA zones at the earliest.
Sources in the ministry said the Centre wants to take the States on board while declaring the ESA zones and hence they have been given one more opportunity to give their recommendations as otherwise many projects in their territories may be hit since the Kasturirangan group has called for restrictions in the ESA zones on mining, thermal power plants, polluting industries and even large housing projects.
The Kasturirangan group had recommended declaration of 56,825 sq km of the Western Ghat areas as ecologically sensitive, which is much less than the Gadgil committee suggesting delineation of 1.29 lakh sq km.
