Lok Sabha Question No. 356 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-07-18
Subject: Notification on Western Ghats
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: PRATHAP SIMHA, SHOBHA KARANDLAJE, FAIZAL P.P. MOHAMMED, PARAYAMPARANBIL KUTTAPPAN BIJU

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION N0. 356

TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.07.2017

## Notification on Western Ghats

## 356.     SHRI PRATHAP SIMHA:

KUMARI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE: MOHAMMED FAIZAL: SHRI P.K. BIJU:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that the Government has not brought into force, a law that is likely to make about 56,825 sq. km. of the ecologically rich Western Ghats out of bounds for industrial development and if so, the reasons therefor;
- (b) whether  a  draft  Notification  earmarked  60,000  square  kilometres  of  the  Western Ghats as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs) has been delayed for over a year and if so, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether  the  Kasturirangan  Committee  has  recommended  that  infrastructure  and development projects be subject to environmental clearance, and that villages in ESAs be involved in decision making for future projects and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether some States have approached the  Union Government to further reduce the ESA  to  9,107  square  kilometres  instead  of  13,108  sq.  km.  and  if  so,  the  details thereof; and
- (e) the present status of final notification on the recommendations of Gadgil/Kasturirangan reports?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

(a)  to  (e)    Based  on  the  recommendations of the High  Level Working Group (HLWG) the Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change  had  issued  a  draft  Notification  on 10.03.2014  declaring  an  area  of  56,825  square    kilometres  spread  over  the  six  states  of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat in the Western Ghats region as  Ecologically  Sensitive.  Later,  addressing  the  concerns  and  apprehensions  of  the  various stakeholders the draft Notification was republished on 04.09.2015.

Further, to continue the consultation process the Draft Notification has been republished on 27 th February,  2017  for  seeking  stakeholders  comments.  The  State  Governments  of  the Western Ghats region have been intimated to provide their final recommendation. Recently, the  state  Government  of  Kerala  has  requested  to  consider  only  9107  square    kilometres  as ESA for the state of Kerala.

To provide immediate protection to the Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) of the Western Ghats  the  Government  issued  Directions  under  Section  5  of  the  Environment  (Protection) Act, 1986 on 13.11.2013. As per the Directions, the five categories of new and/or expansion projects/activities having maximum  interventionist  impacts on ecosystems  namely  (i) Mining,  quarrying  and  sand  mining  (ii)      Thermal  Power  Plants  (iii)      Building  and construction  projects  of  20,000  square  meters  area  and  above  (iv)  Township  and  area development projects with an area of 50 hectares and   above and /or with built up area of 1,50,000 square meters  and above and (v) Red category of industries are prohibited in the Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) of Western Ghats.

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