TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Ministry of Environment and Forests has informed the National Green Tribunal, New Delhi, that the State governments of the Western Ghats region may propose exclusion or inclusion of certain areas in Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) after undertaking demarcation of such areas through physical verification.
The Ministry has already granted time to Goa government till December 15 to carry out demarcation of ESA and submit a report.
In an affidavit filed by Ashok Lavasa, Secretary of MoEF before Justice Swatanter Kumar, the Ministry said that the report of the respective governments would be scrutinized before taking any action and if required would also seek fresh objections from the public on the proposals received from the States.
“The State governments of the Western Ghats region may, after undertaking demarcation of ESA by physical verification, propose the exclusion/inclusion of certain areas from/in the ESA as stated in the draft notification,” Lavasa said in the affidavit.
The tribunal was hearing a plea by NGOs Goa Foundation and Peaceful Society, which had sought to restrain the authorities from granting fresh nods to projects in the Western Ghats region. The matter has been listed for hearing on September 24.
The Ministry had, in the past, told NGT that it casts doubt on both the reports on Western Ghats submitted by Prof Madhav Gadgil and K Kasturirangan and wants to do physical demarcation by conducting a survey. Goa government had also declined to accept the report.
