Kerala to urge Centre to exclude inhabited areas, agricultural lands from ESA Limits

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government will urge the Centre to exclude inhabited areas and agricultural lands from the limits of the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). A meeting chaired by Minister Sunny Joseph decided to approach the central government with this demand.

The state will inform the Centre about the Kerala government's and the Environment Department's stand on ESA-related issues. The meeting also decided to invite members of the Centre's expert committee to Kerala to discuss the recommendations submitted by the state based on local-level studies conducted following the report of the Oommen V. Oommen Committee.

A meeting will be held on June 30 under the chairmanship of Chief Minister V D Satheesan to decide further steps in this regard. Ministers handling the Forest and Environment departments, along with senior officials, will attend the meeting. Environment Department Secretary M G Rajamanickam also participated in Thursday's meeting.