The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has clarified that a fresh draft notification was issued on September 4 last year declaring ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs) in the Western Ghats.
There are provisions to dispel the worries of stakeholders, said a letter issued by Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar to Joice George, MP. The Minister said the physical verification report of the working group in the five States — Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala — declaring 4,156 villages in the ESA limit had been received. The total area covering 56,685 sq km, including in Tamil Nadu, in the fresh draft notification remained unchanged.
