The State government will submit a report on the demarcated ecologically-sensitive zones (ESZ) in the State and the areas of human habitats that need to be excluded from the zone to the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) under the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment within three months, Minister for Forests A.K. Saseendran said in the Assembly on Tuesday.
The Remote Sensing and Environment Centre under the State Planning and Economic Affairs department has been entrusted the task of examining with the help of satellite images, all human settlements, trading centres, commercial establishments, educational institutions, religious institutions, hospitals, farmlands and plantations within a kilometer of the demarcated forest border and which were likely to be included in the ESZ and to submit a report, he said.
As soon as this report was received, the details of the extent of human habitats in the ESZ could be brought to the attention of the Supreme Court for seeking relief, he said. Mr. Saseendran was replying to a calling attention motion raised by C.K. Hareendran on the need to inform the Centre about excluding human habitats from ESZ.
The Supreme Court had mandated that every protected forest, national park and wildlife sanctuary across the country should have a mandatory ESZ of minimum one-km starting from their demarcated boundaries was seen with the seriousness it deserved. The Centre had already been apprised about how the life of people in high ranges would be affected by the said order.
The recommendation that the State had submitted to the Centre has suggested the exclusion of all densely populated areas and areas where government, quasi-government and public sector institutions are situated, from the ESZ.
This includes areas close to the forest borders in the wild life sanctuaries in Malabar, Idukki, Aaralam, Kottiyoor, Shenduruni, Thattekkad, Periyar, Wayanad, Silent Valley, Parambikulam, Neyyar, Peppara, Choolannoor and Peechi which may be included in the ESZ.
The final notification on Mathikettan Chola national park had also been issued , Mr. Saseendran said.
