The ecologically sensitive areas of Western Ghats, the hill range of which starts near the Maharashtra-Gujarat border running to nearly 1600 km along the States of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala and ending at Kanyakumari, will be prioritised into five categories based on richness of biodiversity and other ecological factors.
The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), which met last week, is understood to have drawn up some guidelines for the classification during its meeting. The panel has also framed a general outline for the formation of Western Ghats Ecology Authority (WEA), as suggested by the Ministry of Environment and Forests
The WEA will be headed by a senior hand well-versed in ecological matters. The authority will have representatives of all the Ghats States and technical experts as its members. The WEA will be empowered by invoking the provisions of the Environment Protection Act and have statutory powers. It will also have a decisive say in all matters related to the Ghats, according to sources.
The panel has proposed formation of State-level Standing Committees on Western Ghats in all the Ghats States. The clearance for any development project in the Ghats region will have to be obtained from the WEA. The proposals and applications should be routed to the WEA through the civic bodies in the respective area and State-level Standing Committees, sources said.
Conservation
The WGEEP, headed by eminent ecologist Madhav Gadgil, was appointed by the Ministry to recommend steps to preserve, conserve and rejuvenate the ecologically-sensitive Ghats region. It was also asked to demarcate ecologically-sensitive zones in the region.
The panel is of the view that no environmentally hazardous industries and activities should be permitted in the ecologically sensitive zones. Development activities will be permitted in the moderately sensitive and lower categories.
Sustainable development
The permission in these categories would come with a rider that only green and sustainable development programmes and technologies should be employed in the area. Industrial units were not expected in the Ghats region and the focus would be on sustainable development patterns, panel sources said.
Mining and such environmentally hazardous activities will not be permitted in the first two categories. One cannot completely ban mining. Hence, such activities will be allowed only in the ecologically insignificant areas, the sources have said.
Report in June
The panel interacted with representatives of various NGOs working in the Ghats region last week. It will also hold discussions with the Union Minister of Environment and Forest later in the month.
The WGEEP will submit its report to the Ministry in June. Originally, it was to submit the report this month. However, it was given extension of time.
