Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has urged the Central government to urgently limit the imposition of the Supreme Court-ordered ecologically sensitive buffer zone around national parks, wildlife, and bird sanctuaries.
Land for development and habitation is at a premium in Kerala. In a letter to Union Minister for Environment Bhupinder Yadav, Mr. Satheesan said 30% of Kerala was forested. It was one of the most densely populated States in the country. It's a sliver of verdant land fenced-in by the Western Ghats and the Arabian sea. Any further zonation would hamper development, impact farming and upend the livelihood of thousands.
Many of the farms abutting forests had existed for at least seven decades. They provided a living to thousands of settler farmers.