Kerala Congress (M) presses UDF for village-wise ESA data and White Paper

The political dispute over the proposed Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) in Keralam shows no sign of cooling, even as the State government has sought the exclusion of more than 30 villages spread over 1,500 sq km from the Centre's proposal.

The Kerala Congress (M) has turned its attention to the United Democratic Front (UDF) government, asking it to explain why the findings of a five-member government committee in 2014 differ from the figures the State submitted to the Centre in September 2026.

Party chairman Jose K. Mani, MP, described the inclusion of agricultural land in 25 villages across nine districts in the latest ESA list as a serious concern. He pointed out that the ESA affects 36 Assembly constituencies, among them seats held by five Ministers and the Chief Whip, as well as 15 Lok Sabha constituencies, and argued that the UDF leadership has not taken a clear political stand despite this reach.

Mr. Mani said the State ought to have convened a special Assembly session before September 25 and passed a resolution stating that inhabited and agricultural areas outside existing reserve forests should not form part of the ESA. Such a resolution, he said, should have been formally sent to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He cited Karnataka, which held a special Assembly session on September 21 and passed a resolution on the matter.

He also sought the publication of village-wise details of the forest area identified by the five-member committee in 2014, alongside a comparison with the figures submitted to the Centre in 2026.

In addition, Mr. Mani demanded a comprehensive White Paper covering the Gadgil and Kasturirangan committee reports, the Oommen V. Oommen committee report, the correspondence between the Centre and the State that followed, government decisions and the latest ESA proposal.