Thiruvananthapuram : The Central government was pressured to put up review petition against Supreme Court order, calling to earmark one-km around protected forests as buffer zone(ecologically sensitive area), in the wake of interventions from the Kerala government. The Central govt could only but concede to assertion by LDF government that it was important to protect farmers and others grossly impacted by the move. Kerala was country’s first state to have filed petition urging to review the ruling.
Soon after the 2019 October 31st SC verdict, special provision was constituted to range eco-sensitive margin ‘from zero’, so areas with human settlements were wholly exempted. In the meeting held 28 September 2020, chaired by Forest Minister, it was decided to exempt from buffer zone, all populated stretches and places housing government, semi-government and public sector establishments. A request was placed before the Union ministries of Forest and Environment for final notification in this regard.
Backdrop :The Supreme Court ruling on one-km buffer zone came over case involving wildlife reserve in Rajasthan. The verdict however became applicable countrywide. Without waiting for whatever responses other states might have, Kerala filed its review petition against the judgment. The state demand sought a total exemption for places with human settlement in marking of buffer zone.
