Thiruvananthapuram,Sept 25(HS):Kerala has asked the Centre to exclude residential areas, plantations and farmland from the proposed ecologically sensitive area (ESA) in the Western Ghats and issue a final notification covering forest areas alone, Minister Sunny Joseph said.

The state has submitted its recommendations to the Union Environment Ministry after examining concerns raised by residents, he said. Its proposal seeks to remove 33 of the 131 villages included in the Centre’s seventh draft notification. It calls for four villages in Kottayam district to be excluded entirely and for more than half of the 51 villages listed in Idukki district to be removed.

The latest draft places 9,993.7 sq km of Kerala within the proposed ESA. According to the minister, this comprises 9,107 sq km of forest and 886.7 sq km of non-forest land. He said excluding the non-forest portion would address the state’s remaining concerns about the draft.

Kerala has also asked the Centre to reduce the notified area further, to 8,590.69 sq km. Joseph reiterated the government’s position that the final boundaries should leave out all settlements, plantations and agricultural land.

The minister said the seven draft notifications published between 2014 and July 27, 2026, had already brought Kerala’s proposed ESA below the 13,108 sq km identified in the Kasturirangan report. The current draft figure of 9,993.7 sq km reflects that reduction, but the state wants a further revision before the notification is finalised.

Joseph said the draft notification specifies that details of Kerala’s proposed ESA will be published on the State Biodiversity Board’s website. The government has reviewed objections from affected communities and conveyed its proposed changes to the Centre, he added.

A final decision on the boundaries rests with the Union government.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman