Exclusion of field-level data on ESA: panchayats in Kozhikode allege bid to challenge land holders

They have called upon various organisations and farmers’ forums in Kozhikode district to protest against the alleged laxity and send letters to the Union Government seeking appropriate action

Grama panchayat authorities in Kozhikode district have expressed dissent over the “purposeful exclusion” of field-level data that they gathered using Keyhole Mark-up Language files and submitted to the government for preparation of the final draft notification on Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs).

Local body heads of Kodenchery, Kattippara, Puthuppadi, Koorachundu, and Thiruvambady alleged that the State government was trying to challenge farmers and landholders in upland areas by issuing the latest draft notification carrying only outdated details from the Oommen V. Oommen report.

They claimed that no data was taken from the comprehensive report that they had filed four months ago after a painstaking field-level study done with the support of Revenue and Forest officials. The two maps recently published by the State government on the official portal of the Department of Environment and Climate Change were full of confusing facts, and it would mislead people without answering their concerns, they said.

According to Alex Chempakassery and Premji James, presidents of Kodenchery and Kattippara panchayats respectively, the State government should give a clear explanation for the exclusion of the field-level report submitted by the grama panchayat authorities. They called upon the government to immediately adopt steps to publish a proper draft notification by specifically categorising Revenue and Forest villages.

The local body heads pointed out that the State’s action in the area would be crucial as the deadline fixed for communicating various complaints related to the ESA categorisation with the Union government would end on September 28. A final declaration on ESA should come only after the proper review of all related notifications by the local bodies concerned, they demanded.

As part of mobilising public support for the cause, the grama panchayat heads also called upon various organisations, individuals and farmers’ forums to send their complaints in the form of letters, postcards and emails to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. They made it clear that no draft notifications would be accepted if it was prepared without incorporating the field-level data submitted by the local bodies.

Published - September 19, 2024 06:47 pm IST