TENKASI: People from six villages, situated adjacent to the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR), have been invited for a public hearing with regard to a plan to declare parts of their villages Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ).
The public hearing at Kovinthaperi village on July 27 will be presided over by the District Revenue Officer. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has planned to establish a 1.5-km ESZ around the KMTR.
An ESZ tag would mean that activities, including mining, setting of industries causing water, air, soil and noise pollution, establishment of sawmills, brick kilns and major hydroelectric projects, use or production or processing of hazardous substances, discharge of effluents in natural water bodies, etc., will be prevented in these villages.
The six villages involved in the exercise are Mela Ambur part 2, Sivasailam, Tharmapuram Madam, Kovinthaperi, Kadayam Perumpathu part 2 and Mela Kadayam.
According to a press release from the district administration, some activities, including felling of trees, construction activities, commercial establishment of hotels and resorts, small-scale non-polluting industries, erection of electrical and communication towers, laying of cables and other infrastructures, etc., can be permitted in ESZ areas in adherence to certain conditions.