Human Habitations should be excluded from ESA: Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today said the CPI(M) led LDF government's stand on the Kasturirangan report was that human habitations should not be included while notifying Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA)s in the Western Ghats.
"We will stand with the people of 123 villages which have been declared Ecologically Fragile in the report. The government's aim is to ensure that human habitations are excluded from ESA while at the same time protecting such areas," he said clarifying government's stand on the issue.
"Laws in this regard need to be framed. This is the LDF government's policy', he said in a statement here.

Vijayan said that soon after coming to power, the LDF government had met the Union Environment minister and held discussions on the issue and there was a 'favourable' response from the Centre
"We are continuing to put pressure on the Central government on the matter", Vijayan said.
The Chief Minister recalled that when people of the area launched protests, the LDF, which was then in the opposition, had stood by them.

"During election time also we had taken a stand that we would be with the people and we still stand by it," he said.
Vijayan said LDF had moved a resolution in the assembly in 2014 and had wanted a solution addressing the concerns of the people.

The then ruling UDF had also agreed to that and a unanimous resolution was passed in the House.
Pointing out that there was no change in the government's stand, Vijayan said the charges against the government on the issue now are only due to 'misunderstanding'.
Recently when the Kasturirangan issue again figured in the House, Law minister A K Balan had made a mention of the 2014 resolution. But there was some 'misunderstanding', he said without clarifying.
Though UDF agreed with the resolution on the Kasturirangan issue, the Congress which heads the UDF did not do anything, he said.
"That is the fact. The concerns of the people were not addressed and no action was taken either by the UDF or the UPA government at the Centre," Vijayan alleged.

Recently people in high range Idukki district and some villages in Kottayam had observed a hartal in protest over what they called the LDF government's change of stand on the issue.
The government had also denied the UDF charge that it had filed an affidavit in the High Court, stating that 123 villages came under ESA and this had caused anxiety among people in high range areas.