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No Need for Western Ghats ESA Concerns: Kerala Minister Assures Exclusion of Residential Areas
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News18•24-09-2026, 22:00
No Need for Western Ghats ESA Concerns: Kerala Minister Assures Exclusion of Residential Areas
- •Kerala Revenue Minister A P Anilkumar stated that residential areas will be excluded from the Western Ghats ESA draft notification, alleviating concerns.
- •The Kerala government has adopted a strong stance on the issue, ensuring ESA-related activities will not impact inhabited regions.
- •Anilkumar confirmed that if any villages were initially included in mapping, their residential areas have since been excluded.
- •The minister indicated that the map could be reexamined if necessary to ensure accuracy and address local concerns.
- •Chief Minister VD Satheesan previously announced a proposal to the Centre to completely exclude inhabited and CHR regions from the ESA notification.
Key Questions Answered
Keralam Revenue Minister A P Anilkumar stated that there is no need for concern because residential areas will be excluded from the Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) draft notification, following the state's longstanding position.
The state government decided to submit a proposal to the Centre completely excluding inhabited areas, agricultural lands, and Cardamom Hill Reserve (CHR) regions from the Western Ghats ESA draft notification.
The 60-day deadline for submitting objections and suggestions to the draft notification, which was issued on July 25, 2026, ends on September 24.