KOCHI: Coming down sharply against the final draft notification of the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment on July 27, regarding the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) in Western Ghats, the Catholic Congress said that instead of addressing the concerns of the people in the high ranges of Kerala, it is a step that once again creates uncertainty and fear.
Fr Philip Kaviyil, Catholic Congress global director, said the draft is just a repetition of the draft notification of 2024.
“It is an approach that completely ignores the objections of the people and the assurances given by the government. An approach that kept farmers and common people who have been working hard in the hills for decades in the name of environmental protection under the shadow of suspicion is not an achievement for any democratic government,” he said.
Fr Kaviyil said that forest conservation is essential but subjecting non-forest habitations, farmlands and plantations to restrictions in the name of ESA is never acceptable.