UDF pins hope on notification on ghats panel

In a relief ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress-led UDF Government in Kerala today received an assurance from the Centre on addressing the state's concerns arising from the Kasturirangan committee report on the Western Ghats conservation.
After meeting the central leaders in Delhi, state Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said Environment Minister Veerappa Moily had promised that a draft notification should be issued by tomorrow addressing the fears that implementation of the report would adversely affect settler farmers in upland areas in various parts of the state.
The state government had earlier submitted an experts' panel report which wanted the human settlements, farm lands and plantations to be exempted from the ambit of the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA).

The issue has assumed a political urgency with the UDF partner Kerala Congress-M (KCM) pressing for a notification amidst protests by Catholic-church backed local resistance groups in areas like high range Idukki district.
A key component in the UDF, KCM has threatened to review its continuance in the coalition if the issue was not resolved in a day or two.
According to KCM leaders, nearly three million people live in settlements in 123 villages included in the ESA category by the committee and their livelihood would be in jeopardy if the report was implemented in the present form.
According to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and other UDF leaders, issuance of a notification by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest would not involve violation of the model code of conduct that came into force with declaration of Parliament elections yesterday.

The CPI(M)-led opposition in the state is also in favour of exempting human settlements from the purview of ESA, and has already turned it into an election issue against the ruling coalition.