Kerala Panchayat Body Wants Field Check of Western Ghats ESA Map
Kerala Grama Panchayat Association demands ground-level verification of Western Ghats ESA boundaries in Kozhikode district, urging govt to address local concerns first.
The Kerala Grama Panchayat Association (KGPA) has urged the state government to conduct a comprehensive, field-level verification of the proposed Eco-Sensitive Area (ESA) boundaries in Kozhikode district before any final notification is issued.
The association's call comes amid concerns that the current proposal, which delineates areas under the Western Ghats ESA framework, may not accurately reflect ground realities. KGPA has stressed the need for local bodies and residents to be heard during this process.
According to the association, a detailed on-site assessment is essential to ensure that the notified boundaries do not create avoidable hardships for communities living in or near the designated zones. It has asked the government to factor in these local concerns while finalising the notification.
The demand highlights the ongoing friction between environmental conservation mandates and the developmental aspirations of local populations in the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats region.