In an attempt to resolve the long-standing concerns regarding the proposed Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) in the Western Ghats, the state government has demanded that the Centre issue a final notification excluding residential areas and agricultural land.

“Residential areas, plantations and agricultural land should be excluded, and only forest areas should be identified and included in the final notification,” Environment Minister Sunny Joseph told the media on Friday, adding that only draft notifications were issued between 2014 and 2026.

The minister said Kerala was seeking a separate ESA notification exclusively for the state, considering its specific requirements. Citing the reasons, he pointed out that Kerala's land area was smaller compared to other states and that its population density was high. Putting the forest area into perspective, the minister said 29.15 per cent of Kerala's total land area was forest, while large areas are also covered by paddy fields and swamps.

“There are existing laws to protect these areas. Enforcing another law (ESA) over and above these existing laws will hamper the development of the state,” the minister said.

The Centre's latest draft notification proposes to bring 9,993.7 sq km across 131 villages in Kerala under the ESA. Kerala, however, has been seeking to restrict the extent to about 8,590.69 sq km across 98 villages.

Sunny Joseph said that after the current UDF government came to power, it decided to resolve the issue immediately. A meeting with the special commission headed by Dr Sanjay Kumar, appointed by the Union Environment Ministry, was held in Thiruvananthapuram on July 15. Chief Minister V D Satheesan, the Chief Secretary, Environment Secretary and the concerned ministers attended the meeting, where Kerala's demands were put forward.

However, the Centre has maintained that, except for the Palakkad Gap, no portion of the Western Ghats can be excluded from the ESA. Kerala, meanwhile, has argued that the ESA should primarily cover forest areas and that inhabited regions with long-standing settlements should be kept outside its scope.

The state had earlier sought the exclusion of human habitations and agricultural land from the ESA. Earlier this week, the Chief Minister said the government had decided to submit a proposal to the Centre seeking the complete exclusion of residential areas and Cardamom Hill Reserve (CHR) regions from the ESA.

Sunny Joseph said the Karnataka government, which had similar concerns regarding the ESA, was also seeking exemption from the Centre's strict norms. If needed, the matter would be brought up during the upcoming Assembly session, and the state would pass a resolution demanding the exclusion of the said areas from the final ESA notification, he added.