Supreme Court of India | Photo: Mathrubhumi
New Delhi: Weeks after Kerala approached the Supreme Court against the buffer zone verdict, the union government has also sought the apex court to reconsider its order on establishing 1 km-long buffer zones (ecologically sensitive zones) surrounding protected forests in the country.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in the review petition, said that the order will affect the lives of many people.
It has also sought clarification on paragraphs 44A and 44E in the order.
Meanwhile, the sources in the ministry told Mathrubhumi News that a final notification on protection of Western Ghats will be out in six months.
Earlier, several states, including Kerala, had approached the union government seeking ways to avoid implementing the SC order on the ESZ. Kerala informed the union government that the lives of lakhs of people are at stake due to the SC order.
Kerala also released a new order to nullify its earlier decision to have buffer zones up to 1 km. It decided to exclude residential areas and farmlands from the eco-sensitive zones.
Also, the Kerala Legislative Assembly had passed a unanimous resolution requesting the union government to take necessary actions, including making a fresh law if required, to overcome the Supreme Court verdict on establishing eco-sensitive zones around protected forests.
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