Former Congress MLA warns of stir against placing 40 villages in Dangs under ESA
Dangs North Deputy Conservator of Forest D N Rabari said, “We have carried out an awareness drive in all the 40 villages falling in ESA and explained to people there is nothing to worry.”
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In South Gujarat, 64 villages, spanning 449 square kilometers, have been marked as economically sensitive areas. (File Photo)Months after 40 villages of Dangs were placed under Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area (WGESA) by the Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, former Congress MLA and tribal leader Mangal Gavit on Saturday warned the government of protests by villagers. Gavit, who is the former president of district panchayat, has claimed that a resolution has been passed by 20 villages against the move.
In South Gujarat, 64 villages, spanning 449 square kilometers, have been marked as economically sensitive areas.
On Friday, a meeting was held between forest officials and villagers and leaders of Dangs where the central government’s July 30 notification was discussed.
Speaking with The Indian Express, Gavit, who attended the meeting, said, “Over 65 to 70% of Dangs district has forest area. The villagers of affected villages will face huge problems for the repair of houses or renovation or construction of new houses in areas where they use sands and rocks from nearby water bodies. The villagers cannot spend more money to purchase sands from Surat and Tapi districts. There will be issues against sand mining and stone quarrying activities in these villages.”
He further added, “We have objected to the draft notification and over 20 villages have passed a resolution at their gram panchayat meeting that their villages should not be included in the ESA. We will carry out protests.”
Dangs North Deputy Conservator of Forest D N Rabari said, “We have carried out an awareness drive in all the 40 villages falling in ESA and explained to people there is nothing to worry, and normal activities will continue. We have also told the villagers that if they have any objections they should give us in writing. At the meeting tribal leader Mangal Gavit had objected and raised his concerns with us. We are also looking into it. We have given time for people to submit their objections.”
Areas in Gujarat (449 square kilometers), Maharashtra (17,340 square kilometers), Goa (1,461 square kilometers), Karnataka (20,668 square kilometers), Kerala (9993.7 square kilometers) and Tamil Nadu (6914 square kilometers) have been placed under WGESA.
As per the draft notification, existing construction/activity in the proposed ESA will not be affected.
Mining of minor minerals in the non forest area included in the proposed ESA shall be permitted.
Installation of new thermal power plant or extension of existing thermal power plant is prohibited. Apart from this the new construction activities on over 20,000 square meters of area or expansion of existing construction projects, construction of new township bearing the area of over 1.50 lakh square meters of land is banned.
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