Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav has said the Ministry will file a review petition in the Supreme Court urging a relook into its judgment on eco-sensitive zones.
Speaking at the observance of the World Elephant Day at the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady on Friday, Mr. Yadav said the Centre would seek a review of Sections 44A and 44E of the judgment as more clarity was required on the issue.
The Sections pertained to the directive to notify eco-sensitive zones (ESZ) of minimum 1 km from the demarcated boundaries of protected areas, and the exemption provided for ongoing activities within the proposed ESZ, provided they did not figure on the ‘prohibited list’.
Mr. Yadav added that a committee had been formed to adopt a ‘holistic’ approach on the reports of the Kasturirangan and Gagdil committees for the conservation of the Western Ghats. The panel will also consider the representations submitted by the public.
Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran welcomed Mr. Yadav’s assurance to intervene in the contentious issue surrounding the proposed ESZ. He also expressed optimism that the Central government would earnestly consider the State’s demand to exclude human inhabited areas from the buffer zone.
