Kerala Congress (M) chairperson Jose K Mani has alleged that the state’s ecologically sensitive area (ESA) list submitted to the Centre wrongly includes agricultural land in 25 villages across nine districts, and has demanded that the government publish the village-wise details and explain discrepancies with an earlier state committee report.
According to the report, the list sent to the Centre identifies 8,590.69 sq km across 98 villages as ESA. Mani said the available figures indicate that agricultural land has been included in the submission, creating concern over the possible effect on land rights and livelihoods.
He compared the current figure with the recommendations of the Oommen V Oommen Committee, appointed by the Kerala government in 2014. The committee had recommended an ESA extent of 8,484.05 sq km across 123 villages, based on an inspection by a five-member panel representing the panchayat, forest, revenue, agriculture and survey departments.
The 2014 committee’s assessment had identified 7,596.67 sq km as forest and 887.38 sq km as forest plantation, Mani said. He sought publication of the forest extent identified by that committee, along with the village-wise break-up of the list recently sent to the Centre, so that the difference between the two submissions can be examined.
The dispute places the ESA process at the intersection of environmental regulation, agricultural land use and local administration. A land classification decision covering multiple villages can affect how residents, farmers and local bodies understand the permissible use and future development of land. The report, however, does not include a response from the Kerala government or the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change to Mani’s allegations.
Mani said the Kerala Congress (M) had raised the matter in Pathanamthitta after 35 days of the 60-day draft notification period had elapsed. He alleged that no substantive political discussion or policy decision followed, worsening the uncertainty around the proposed ESA boundaries.
He also said the ESA issue affects 36 assembly constituencies and 15 Lok Sabha constituencies, including the constituencies of five ministers and the chief whip. Mani criticised the United Democratic Front leadership for not taking a clear political position on the matter.
The Kerala Congress (M) leader called for a special session of the state assembly before September 25 to pass a resolution stating that residential and agricultural land outside existing reserve forests should not be included in the ESA. He said the resolution should then be formally communicated to the Union environment ministry.
Mani cited a special session of the Karnataka legislative assembly on September 21, which passed a resolution on the issue, as an example of the action he wanted Kerala to take. He estimated that land rights and livelihoods of about 23 lakh people across 123 ESA villages could be affected. The next points of focus are the release of the village-wise ESA data, the state government’s response and the outcome of the draft notification process.
