Centre to move SC on eco-sensitive zone around protected forests: Environment Minister
The Centre on Saturday said it would be approaching the Supreme Court in connection with its order to create a one-kilometre eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) around all wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in the wake of rising protests in the high ranges of Kerala against the apex court direction.
Responding to a query on the ongoing protest in Kerala over the apex court order, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey said any verdict of the Supreme Court has to be accepted.
“We will be holding discussions with the Kerala government and we will file an affidavit in the Supreme Court. Whatever disquiet is there among people--that will be taken care of,” the Union minister told reporters here.
Expressing their anguish over the implications of the Supreme Court order, farmers in high range areas of the state, in Idukki, Wayanad, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts, had been holding various forms of protests for the past two weeks urging the Centre and state governments to seek legal remedies to exclude human habitations from the one-km ESZ around protected forests, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
The state government has said it would explore the legal options to take care of the livelihood options of the people living in such areas. The apex court recently issued a direction that each protected forest, including national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, must have an ESZ of 1 km and banned mining activities within such parks across the nation.
Issuing a slew of directions, a bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao had on June 3 ordered that no permanent structure will be allowed within such ESZs and said if the local law or other rules provide for an ESZ.
Farmers in high range areas of Kerala had been holding various forms of protests urging the government to seek legal remedies to exclude human habitations from the one-km ESZ