Buffer zone: Kerala govt to seek 3-month extension to submit details on buildings

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government will seek a three-month extension of timeline from the Supreme Court to submit details of buildings which comes under the buffer zone. This will be mentioned in the application in which the state government is about to join as party with union government, for highlighting the practical difficulties in implementing the apex court’s direction to maintain 1-km buffer zone around forests and sanctuaries across the country.

The state government already have collated the list of buildings in the buffer zone that is crucial for sustenance of people’s livelihood. Similarly, details of houses, shops, establishments, religious centres, educational institutes, markets, hospitals and farmlands need to be submitted before the court. However, the challenge is that there are allied personal-public contentions that need to be resolved. The government aims to resolve the issues and submit the details soon.

According to the state government, one of the major concerns is that 96 tribal hamlets fall under buffer zone. The government worries how buffer zone may affect their special forest rights.