The much-awaited meeting of Environment Ministry on Western Ghats with environment Ministers of six States —Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu —was held on Tuesday. But no decision was taken, said sources, adding that the Ministry will take the final call by August end, based on the Kasturirangan Committee report. The crucial meeting chaired by Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar discussed the progress made of physically demarcating ecologically sensitive area (ESA) along 1,500 kilometers of the western cost.
“The main focus of the meeting was to conserve the biodiversity of the Western Ghats region, while providing adequate opportunities for livelihood security of the local people in the broad paradigm of ESA, which is not just about regulation of development, but is intimately linked to positive promotion of environment-friendly and socially inclusive development,” said the Ministry sourcesThe Ministry acting on request of the six States, had given them opportunities to undertake the demarcation of ESA within their jurisdiction by physical verification in the Western Ghats region and submit their proposals to the Ministry by June 30. Kerala had, however, undertaken such an exercise and is the only State to submit its report. The recommendations made by the Kasturirangan committee was to declare about 37 per cent of the areas in the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA).