Church leaders in Keralam call for urgent steps to address concerns over ESA draft for Western Ghats villages
Thrissur Archdiocese says Centre and State must jointly correct flaws in draft notification and safeguard rights of farmers and tribal communities
Church leaders in Keralam have called for immediate action to address the concerns of high-range farmers and tribal communities over the draft notification on Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) in the Western Ghats. Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath and Archdiocesan Pastoral Council secretary Joshi Vadakkan of the Thrissur Archdiocese have expressed their worries to the State government and the Centre.
They believe that the draft notification could undermine the constitutional rights of over 35 lakh people residing in 131 villages, preventing them from living and working without fear. The church leaders urge the State government to hold a special session of the Legislative Assembly to discuss these concerns and resolve them. They argue that the ESA should only encompass government-controlled forestland and that villages in Keralam should not be used as the basis for defining ESA boundaries.
Furthermore, the leaders stress that people must retain their rights to buy, sell, and use property as collateral for bank transactions. The Assembly should unanimously support these demands and convey them to the Centre. Protecting the ecology of the Western Ghats is essential, but it should not come at the expense of the lives and livelihoods of those who have lived and worked in the hill regions for decades with valid records.
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