Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran has said that the government will seek legal advice from experts on the Supreme Court directive to maintain a minimum Ecologically Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of 1 km for all protected forests. He reiterated that the order may hit Kerala hard.
He was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the State-level inauguration of ‘Vrikshasamridhi’ project organised by the Forest and Wildlife department in Pinarayi here on World Environment Day, on Sunday.
The Minister said that there are 23 populated areas adjoining the forest fringes in the State. The Supreme Court order came when the approval for 0.5-km ECZ was about to be given to 20 of these places after the government submitted all the information required to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
“The government was expecting the approval. The order has come as a shock,” he said.
