Special grama sabhas to be held in 52 panchayats in Idukki to discuss ESA

Following the release of the seventh draft notification on the Western Ghats’ Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), which reportedly overlooks scientific recommendations submitted by the State government, the Grama Panchayat Presidents’ Association has decided to convene emergency ‘special grama sabhas’ across 52 panchayats in Idukki on Sunday. The main aim of the special grama sabhas is to ensure that the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) exclude farmlands and human habitations from the ESA.M. M. Varghese, district president of the Grama Panchayat Presidents’ Association and Kumily grama panchayat president, said the special meetings will be held across all 52 local bodies in the district at 2 p.m. on Sunday.“Following the special grama sabha sessions, formal resolutions will be passed in every panchayat. Secretaries have been directed to immediately forward copies of these resolutions to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Chief Minister of Keralam, the Chief Secretary as well as local MPs and MLAs,” Mr. Varghese said.Highlighting the concerns of local residents, Mr. Varghese noted that including populated areas in the ESA framework would disrupt day-to-day life. “Bringing human settlements and agricultural land under the ESA will severely impact the livelihood of local farming communities and the public,” he said.He further urged the Union government to eliminate the prevailing ambiguity surrounding designatedvillage boundaries.“The final notification must explicitly clarify that adding 131 villages on the list does not mean their entire geographic area falls under ecologically sensitive zone. The Centre must accept Keralam’s recommendation to limit the ESA strictly to 8,590.69 sq km of actual forest tracts across 98 villages,” Mr. Varghese added. Published - September 16, 2026 07:21 pm IST