NEW DELHI/T’PURAM: In a major reprieve to the state government, the Centre has offered support in getting an exemption for Kerala from the Supreme Court order making one-km eco-sensitive zone mandatory. When the matter comes up before the apex court, the Centre will take a stand favouring the concerns raised by various state governments, including Kerala. Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, has promised support for the state’s concerns regarding ESZ, said Forest Minister A K Saseendran after meeting him in New Delhi on Thursday.
Speaking after the meeting, he said that the state will soon move SC seeking to exempt it from 1 km rule restriction and to exclude human settled areas, agricultural lands and public institutions. Saseendran said the Union Minister promised that the Centre will look into the concerns raised by Kerala and other states. “The union minister has taken a positive approach towards our demands. Apart from Kerala many other states, especially the north eastern states, have raised similar concerns. The Centre will take a favourable approach before the Supreme Court,” Saseendran said.
Meanwhile the Union minister will visit the state on August 12 in connection with the World Elephant Day celebration. In a memorandum to the Union minister, Kerala requested that a final notification should be issued as per the revised proposals submitted by the state government.
Considering the special circumstances and population density of Kerala, steps should be taken to exempt the state from SC directions. The state also demanded that necessary legal and legislative steps may be taken to amend the 2011 guidelines of the Forest Ministry declaration on ESZ to protect the interests of the public and farmers. It has also pointed out that the state is taking necessary measures to prevent human-wildlife conflict. “The Union minister said that issues raised by all states will be addressed before implementing the SC order. He said that states can approach the SC on this,” said Saseendran. Kerala is the first state to hold a meeting with the Union minister in this regard.
The state government has already decided to approach the Supreme Court with a petition on the ESZ issue. However a decision on whether to file a modification petition or a review petition will be taken after the Advocate General holds talks with the forest principal secretary, principal chief conservator of forests and the state counsel before the apex court. The Supreme Court had on June 3, pronounced a verdict that a one-km eco-sensitive zone is mandatory around wildlife sanctuaries and national parks.
The order has invited major political debate and public protests in Kerala. Recently the assembly passed a unanimous resolution in this regard. It’s in this backdrop that the state forest minister took up the issue with the Union Government.