Limit ESA curbs to forest areas in Keralam: Orthodox Church

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Environmental conservation should be pursued by taking people into confidence, rather than leaving them uninformed about the implications of such notifications, says the Orthodox Church in Keralam. (Photo for representation)

The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church has demanded that the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) under the seventh draft notification be confined to forest areas and the period for submitting objections be extended.

Youhanon Mar Dioscoros Metropolitan, president of the Church’s media wing, said the proposed restrictions could add to the difficulties faced by people in the hilly regions, who were already affected by human-wildlife conflict. The State government should take the concerns of the people into account and impress upon the Union government the State’s unique circumstances, he said.

Environmental conservation should be pursued by taking people into confidence, rather than leaving them uninformed about the implications of such notifications, he said.

“If restrictions are imposed on construction activities in the hilly regions, a situation could arise wherein the people will have to seek the permission of the Forest and Environment departments for almost every activity,” he said.

The ESA notification could affect not only the hilly regions but the development of the State as a whole, he said. An expert committee should visit the affected areas and assess the situation on the ground before a final decision was taken, he said.

“The people in the hilly regions are not opposed to environmental conservation. The trees they have planted and nurtured have contributed to keeping the land green,” he said.

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