Govt reissues draft notification to declare over 56,000 sq km of Western Ghats as eco-sensitive

The draft notification proposes to declare 9,993.7 sq km in Kerala, including 13 villages in two talukas of the landslide-hit district, ecologically sensitive.

Overall, the notification includes 449 sq km in Gujarat, 17,340 sq km in Maharashtra, 1,461 sq km in Goa, 20,668 sq km in Karnataka, 6,914 sq km in Tamil Nadu, and 9,993.7 sq km in Kerala in the proposed ESA. (File)

The Central government on Friday issued the sixth iteration of a draft notification, declaring 56,825.7 sq km of the Western Ghats an ecologically sensitive area (ESA) in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The notification has been reissued after the previous draft, notified on July 6, 2022, lapsed; the Centre and these six states have not arrived at a consensus on the extent of ESA to be demarcated in the ecological hotspot. The ESAs proposed across these states are spread over 449 sq km in Gujarat, Maharashtra (17,340 sq km), Goa (1,461 sq km), Karnataka (20,668 sq km), Tamil Nadu (6,914 sq km), and Kerala (9,993.7 sq km). The Centre has provided a window of 60 days to submit objections and suggestions on the draft.

The draft notification declaring ESA over Western Ghats was first issued in March 2014, based on suggestions by the High-Level Working Group (HLWG), which was formed by the Centre in 2012. The HLWG panel, headed by space scientist K Kasturirangan, reviewed suggestions in a report prepared by the senior ecologist Madhav Gadgil-led expert committee on ESAs. In April 2022, the Centre formed another panel to “re-examine suggestions by these six state governments…, keeping in view the conservation aspects of the disaster-prone pristine ecosystem, as well as rights, privileges, needs and developmental aspirations of the region”.

Issued on Friday, the draft notification stated that the Centre and expert panel held 10 meetings with states having Western Ghats, to discuss the fifth draft notification at various forums.

Nikhil Ghanekar

An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change. Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More

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