Buffer zone row: Kerala govt to hold field survey across wildlife parks, sanctuaries

With protests amplifying over the buffer zone issue, the Kerala government has decided to conduct a field survey of the buffer zone that surround wildlife parks and sanctuaries across the state and also publish the draft buffer zone map which has already been sent to the Centre.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to discuss the buffer zone issue which is creating ripples across the state with the Catholic Church spearheading the movement to exclude populated areas from it.

Also read: SC order on buffer zone puts Kerala in a quandary; here’s why

According to reports, the government also plans to move Supreme Court to request for more time to submit a satellite survey report on eco-sensitive zones (ESZ).

During the meeting, it was also decided to extend the tenure of the Justice Thottathil Radhakrishnan’s committee for two more months and allow people affected by the buffer zone more time to present their grievances before the panel.

“The government will hear affected people and their representatives in detail and formulate a plan for a field verification survey. Officials will have a meeting with 87 panchayat presidents and secretaries on Wednesday. The SC will also be approached for more time in submitting satellite survey,” the government said in a statement after the meeting.

Locals have been protesting against the findings of a satellite survey conducted by the Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre in September to identify man-made structure within the proposed one-km buffer zones that perimeter 23 wildlife sanctuaries and parks across the state.

The survey was conducted in deference to a June 3 Supreme Court order in which the top court mandated state governments to designate a 1 kilometre-wide buffer zone around the circumference of all national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, where prohibited activities like mining and establishment of permanent structures would not be allowed.

Locals alleged that while the survey only identified 49,324 structures while the actual number would be over 2 lakh; and missed out small structures like huts and mud houses while only picking up big buildings.

The said the map also missed out roads and water bodies to show that a particular patch was a forested region while in reality it was inhabited.

In the high-level meeting, also attended by the state Ministers for Revenue, Forest, Finance and Local Self- Government Institutions and various senior bureaucrats, it was decided that if additional information needed to be included in the map, opportunity for the same would be provided, the CMO statement said. It also said that the time for submitting additional information was extended till January 7.

It also said it was further decided to gather information from the areas to be affected by forming a committee consisting of all sections of the public, including people’s representatives.

Also read: Buffer zone around forest areas: TN villagers fear losing livelihoods

In the meeting, it was also decided that a team consisting of Revenue, Forest and Local Self-Government Department officials and technical experts will be appointed at the panchayat level to verify the information so received, the release said.

During the last few days, both Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and state Forest Minister A K Saseendran had said that as the satellite survey of the forested areas had not taken into account everything, a report based on it would not be placed before the Supreme Court. Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan, who too has been opposing the satellite survey report by terming it “incomplete and inaccurate,” questioned why a manual survey with the cooperation of the revenue department and local bodies was not conducted.

He, also questioned why the satellite survey report of August was shelved for three months and released only in December. He also reiterated what he said a few days ago that the Left government in 2019 by way of a cabinet decision had allegedly included population centres in the buffer zone and the same was also sent to the Centre. “The government is working against the interests of Kerala. If the Supreme Court reiterates its stand on the buffer zone issue, it will adversely affect tens of thousands of families who will not be able to grow crops or build houses,” Satheesan contended.

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Vijayan, on Monday, had called the high-level meeting in the wake of sharp criticism of his government’s allegedly “hasty” satellite survey of forest areas and threats of agitations by the Catholic Church and the Congress. The Congress had threatened that agitations would be held, similar to those against the SilverLine project, if the Left government did not set aside its alleged “indifference” and address the concerns of the people on the buffer zone issue.

(With inputs from agencies)