KOCHI: The map of the eco-sensitive zones (ESZs) around 22 protected forests, which the state government uploaded on its website on Thursday, has added to the agony of the protesting farmers. This, along with the satellite survey map uploaded earlier, has further confused them. “We are farmers. We don’t have the technical expertise to check maps and find out whether our land has been included in the buffer zone. The government should take us into confidence and make sincere efforts to save our livelihood,” says Gopi Vadakkanad, a farmer in Noolpuzha panchayat of Wayanad.
As per the Kerala Independent Farmers’ Association (KIFA), the government had submitted the same map to the Centre earlier, before the June 3 Supreme Court order that made the 1km buffer zone mandatory.
Gifton Prince, a farmer and KIFA leader in Wayanad, also pointed out issues with the satellite survey map. “In the satellite survey map, forests are marked in green while the proposed buffer zone is marked in pink. Instead of providing landmarks, the map has survey numbers.
So, each farmer living within one km from the forest border has to go to the panchayat office and check the survey number of their land against the map.
This has to be done before January 7. Since the panchayat staff lacks the required expertise, KIFA has taken panchayat-wise printouts of the map and is helping farmers with the verification,” said Gifton Prince, a farmer and KIFA leader in Wayanad.
He said there are over 45,000 buildings around Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, but only 13,000 have been included in the satellite survey map.
“Identifying the buildings that have been left out is a laborious task. Of the 35 wards in Sultan Bathery town, 34 fall in the buffer zone,” he said. In the ESZ map, no area can be identified as there is only the aerial view of the forest, Gifton said.
ESZ map has no legal standing: Farmers’ assn
KIFA chairman Alex Ozhukayil said the ESZ map lacks legal standing as it became invalid following the June 3 SC order. “The state government submitted the ESZ map to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change after removing human habitats. However, we are unable to decipher it. The SC had rejected the map and said the government should provide the details of structures that fall in the buffer zone.
Only a field survey can ensure all human habitations are excluded,” Alex said. High Range Protection Council general convener Fr Sebastian Kochupurakkal said farmers in the high ranges have been devastated by falling prices of agricultural products and wild animal attacks.
“The buffer zone will add to their misery. Maps and assurances are given to cool down growing public resentment. There are some conservation activists who are trying to mislead the government. The authorities should understand public sentiments and take sincere efforts to address their anguish. Conservation should have a human face. None should intrude into the lives of people in the name of buffer zone,” he said.
LDF GOVT INCLUDED HUMAN-INHABITED AREAS IN BUFFER ZONE: SATHEESAN
Kochi: Coming down heavily on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the buffer zone issue, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan alleged that it was the LDF government that included human-inhabited areas in the buffer zone. “The chief minister alleged that the decision to exclude human-inhabited areas was not submitted before the court during the UDF regime.
This decision was to be submitted before the Union government and not before the court. It is for the Union government to submit it before the Supreme Court. As per this, in 2015, the Oommen Chandy government conveyed to the Centre the demand to avoid human-inhabited areas. This has been clarified in the order issued by the Pinarayi government in 2019, which decided to include the human-inhabited areas.
The order stated that the draft notifications issued by the Oommen Chandy government were considered in an expert committee meeting in Delhi in 2016. The draft notification lapsed in 2018 after the state did not provide the details in time. The draft notification was nullified during the Pinarayi government’s term as it did not provide details. With this, the buffer zone was applied to Kerala. That is the issue now,” he said.