Thiruvananthapuram, 27 Oct (H.S.): A dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the Left Joint Farmers’ Struggle Committee is being observed in the hill regions of Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts on Tuesday, demanding the exclusion of inhabited areas and agricultural land from the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) notification.

Organisers said the protest covers 15 villages across the two districts. Led by the Karshaka Sangham and the Adivasi Kshema Samithi, the shutdown began at 6 am and will continue until 6 pm.

The committee urged traders and industrial establishments to remain closed and appealed to vehicle owners to stay off the roads in solidarity with farmers and hill communities. Its office-bearers described the agitation as a struggle to protect the livelihoods and survival of people living in the affected areas.

Essential services, including milk and newspaper distribution, hospitals and ambulances, have been exempted from the shutdown. Travel connected with weddings has also been excluded.

The organisers announced exemptions for interstate bus services operating from Kollam to Tamil Nadu through Shenkottai. Interdistrict buses travelling from Thiruvananthapuram through Alimukku will also be allowed to operate, providing exceptions to the general appeal to keep vehicles off the roads.

The protest follows the Centre’s seventh draft ESA notification, which, according to the account provided by the organisers, was issued on the 27th of last month.

In Kollam district, the villages listed within the proposed ESA limits include Aryankavu, Thenmala, Kulathupuzha, Thinkalkarikkam, Channapetta, Edamon, Piravanthoor and Punnala.

In Thiruvananthapuram district, Amboori, Kallikkad, Kuttichal, Vithura and Peringammala are among the villages identified in the notification.

The committee’s central demand is that residential settlements and cultivated land be removed from the notified area. It appealed for public cooperation with the shutdown, while reiterating that the announced exemptions would apply throughout the 12-hour protest across the affected hill villages of both southern districts on Tuesday.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman