Human settlements to be excluded from buffer zone

KOCHI:BOWING to pressure from setlement communities, the Kerala cabinet on Wednesday decided to amend its March 2019 order that one kilometre wide stretch around the protected forest areas has been unconditionally designated as ecologically sensitive or buffer zones.

The cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan decided to exclude residential areas from the buffer zone surrounding protected forests. The cabinet also asked the forest department to move the Supreme Court for taking further action in this regard.

Both Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Minister for Forests AK Saseendran had defended the 2019 government decision and argued that the government had asked the union government in 2020 itself to exempt buffer zone areas with high population density and keep government and semi-government institutions under its purview.

It was also said that a proposal to this effect has been sent to the Centre.

The latest cabinet decision to amend the earlier order comes in the wake of government receiving legal advice saying the 2019 order should be amended immediately to exclude populated areas from buffer zones.

The government was told that as long as the 2019 order remains in force, it will harm Kerala’s case in the Supreme Court that it wants to keep all human setlements out of the buffer zone.

Opposition parties slammed government for passing 2019 order allowing one kilometre buffer zone.

On June 3, the Supreme Court had issued a notification directing states to declare a one kilometre boundary around protected areas as ESZS, saying that the state can reduce the ESZ requirement in case of “huge public interest.”

As part of steps to allay fears of farmers and people living close to protected forest areas, the state government has also decided to submit a modification petition in the Supreme Court, as well as to approach the Central Empowered Commitee to get exemptions on the verdict.

leader of the opposition VD Satishan welcomed the decision of the cabinet.