A delegation of the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council will meet Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday to demand a slew of interventions against the backdrop of the Supreme Court order that made declaration of an area of at least 1 km around protected forests or national parks as buffer zone mandatory.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Church body said prior to filing a review petition against the apex court order, the State government should immediately use its powers to push the buffer zone limit at least a kilometre inside the boundaries of protected forests. That apart, it should pass legislation fixing the buffer zone at zero kilometre from forest boundaries.
Stating that the issue was one that affected ordinary people, the KCBC said farming, except for own consumption, and construction of houses were barred within areas declared as buffer zones. This will force people to flee from their homeland. Further, Kerala fared better in comparison with other Indian States in terms of protection of forests and wildlife. Despite being a densely populated State, its forest cover is more than the national average. Therefore, it is unjust to implement such a sweeping order across the country, the body said in the statement.
