Keralam seeks ESA exemption for 131 villages in Western Ghats draft

The Keralam government is taking steps to keep residential and agricultural areas in the state out of the Centre's draft notification on the ecologically sensitive area (ESA) in the Western Ghats, Agriculture Minister T Siddique said on Sunday.

He said the government plans to seek the exclusion of around 131 villages and 9,993 square kilometres of land in Keralam from the draft notification, and will submit a detailed response to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests before the September 24 deadline for objections and suggestions.

Speaking at a press conference, Siddique said the 60-day period for submitting objections and suggestions to the draft notification, issued on July 25, 2026, would end on September 24.

He said the government was aiming to completely remove more than 30 villages from the list and exclude residential areas and agricultural land in the remaining villages from the ESA limits.

Siddique said that, considering the seriousness of the issue, Chief Minister V D Satheesan was holding discussions with the state ministers for Environment, Agriculture, Revenue and Forests, along with senior government officials.

He added that scientific evidence and the concerns of farmers had been placed before the Western Ghats Environmental Expert Committee at a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister.

Revenue Minister A P Anilkumar said the government was aware of the concerns of the people and would protect their interests. He said no decision would be taken that would affect people's lives.

Anilkumar said talks had been held with the Centre and that there had been a positive approach from its side. "The government will not take any stand which will adversely affect the people," he said.

The ministers said the state would place its objections before the Centre within the deadline while pressing for the exclusion of villages, residential areas and farmland from the proposed ecologically sensitive area limits.