THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Assembly has urged the Union Government to exclude Cardamom Hill Reserves from under the purview of Ecologically Sensitive Areas. In a unanimous resolution, the assembly urged the Centre to review certain existing restrictions on red category industries.
The resolution moved by the ruling UDF found ample support from both the opposition LDF and BJP. Moving the resolution, environment minister Sunny Joseph requested the Centre to limit the ESA in the state to 8590.69 sqkm in 98 villages, identified following detailed studies and analyses by the state government and ground-level inspections by local bodies. While issuing the final notification, the state's concerns regarding the same should be taken into account, Keralam demanded.
As per the resolution, restrictions for certain red-category industries should be removed. This includes dairy processing and manufacturing of dairy products; slaughterhouses and meat processing units; Common Effluent Treatment Plants, diesel-generator facilities above 5 MVA in hospitals, medical colleges industrial parks; new health care institutions, pumped storage hydro electrict projects and townships above 50 Ha of area for the purpose of rehabilitating disaster-affected people.
Considering its special character of land use, basic infrastructure facilities and human settlements in the region, Cardamom Hill Reserve (CHR) should be excluded from ESA. The state further demanded that restrictions related to ESA should be limited to only the identified ESA region in the village, and not to the entire village. The final notification on ESA should be brought out, only after fully excluding human habitats, farm lands and plantations from under its purview, the state demanded.
Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan proposed changes to the resolution, suggesting that the previous LDF government too had taken a similar approach.
Meanwhile BJP's V Muraleedharan proposed inclusion of the favourable position taken by the Centre regarding people's concerns. Both the amendments were incorporated in the final resolution. Chief minister VD Satheesan said back-to-back governments have taken a similar approach in the issue, and the current UDF government will continue with the position taken by the previous Left government in the issue.