Protest is brewing against a draft notification of the Ministry of Forest and Environment to declare an eco-sensitive zone around Malabar and Aralam Wildlife sanctuaries, which share borders with many villages in Wayanad district.
According to the draft notification issued on August 15, the eco-sensitive zone will be to an extent of up to 1 km around the boundary of the sanctuaries. “If the draft is implemented, it will adversely affect the lives of close to 50,000 farmers living on the fringes of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary which is spread over 13 villages under the Thamarassery and Koyilandy taluks in Kozhikode district and Vythiri taluk in Wayanad district,” P.M. Joy, chairman, Karshika Purogamana Samiti (KPS), said.
All development projects in the eco-sensitive zone, including construction of roads, will be hit, and farmers will not be able to cut the trees they had planted without the permission of forest officials, he added.
Farmers in five villages sharing border with the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary in Thirunelly grama panchayat in Wayanad have to travel nearly 70 km to reach the Aralam divisional forest office in Kannur district for submitting applications for their needs, said T.C. Joseph, chairman, Wayanad Action Committee to Prevent Wildlife Attack. The lives of farmers on the forest fringes are miserable owing to the increasing attacks from wild animals, he added.
Several farmer organisations and political parties have launched protests against the Union government’s move. Members of the Thirunelly grama panchayat board observed black day on Saturday against the notification. They also organised protest meet in each ward.
Meanwhile, a meeting of UDF leaders from Kozhikode and Wayanad districts decided to intensify agitation against the move. They held agitation declaration conventions in 10 panchayats of the two districts on Sunday. The CPI(M) has also decided to launch protests against the move. KPS will stage a dharna in front of the telephone exchange at Vythiri on Wednesday demanding withdrawal of the draft.
