Though the deadline set by the State Government for panchayats to submit verified cadastral maps of Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) villages ends in a day, the process would be delayed further.
Of the 123 ESA villages across the state, so far cadastral maps of only 30 villages have been submitted before the panel. The whole expert verification process would be completed only after map verification of the remaining 93 villages, once the panchayats return the same. Meanwhile the state-level expert panel, entrusted with the task of verification of cadastral maps to demarcate the boundary of ESA villages, completed the verification of 22 villages. “There won’t be any map verification on Tuesday,” the officials with the Kerala State Biodiversity Board said. “So far we have received verified cadastral maps of 30 villages. Of this, verification of 10 villages in Udumbanchola taluk was carried out on Saturday. Maps of 12 villages in Idukki and Kottayam were done on Monday. The verification of a couple of other villages were put on hold, as the process involves officials from various departments to come together. Hence it would be convenient for them to carry out the verification of villages in each district together,” K P Laladas, member-secretary of the State Biodiversity Board said.
The verification of maps returned by panchayats is being carried out by an expert panel headed by Biodiversity Board chairman Oommen V Oommen.
Additional Chief Secretary P K Mohanty, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Gopinathan and officials from the State Biodiversity Board, State Remote Sensing, Survey, Forests and Environment Departments along with representatives of panchayats are also part of the expert verification process.
“The verification of maps by panchayats being a major exercise, many panchayats find it difficult to finish it within the stipulated time. That’s why the deadline has been extended. Even then, cadastral maps of as many as 93 villages are yet to be submitted. And for some villages whose maps have been received, we are waiting for other villages in the same district. The process may take some more time to be completed,” Laladas said.