The notification restricts mining, destructive industrial projects, thermal power projects, new townships and large constructions in sensitive areas
Kolhapur : Senior environmentalist Madhukar Bachulkar has urged the residents to submit their suggestions and objections without delay on the Centre’s proposal to declare 56,825 sq km of the Western Ghats an eco-sensitive zone, calling it the last opportunity to protect the ecologically fragile region. The Union environment ministry’s seventh and final draft notification, issued on July 27, seeks public responses until Sept 25, 2026. “The notified zone accounts for 35.5% of the total 1,60,000 sq km area of the Western Ghats. The remaining 64.5% would remain open for development without restrictions,” Bachulkar said. Bachulkar said, “All six state govts in the region have opposed designating the 35.5% area as eco-sensitive. He urged the environmentalists, researchers, scholars, students, teachers and nature-loving residents to write in English or Hindi, seeking no reduction in the notified area or the 4,402 sensitive villages and immediate implementation without changes. Responses may be sent to the Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Indira Paryavarn Bhavan, Jorbagh Road, Ali Ganj, New Delhi-110003, or emailed to [email protected].
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Over half the region’s forests and biodiversity have already been destroyed, according to the report. “Protecting sensitive areas was therefore essential,” he said. Bachulkar said it would help conserve natural habitats, biodiversity and the environment.
The proposed notification aims to protect the notified area from human interference. The govts have sought revenue through development projects and are unconcerned about environmental degradation. He added that extensive forest destruction had contributed to floods, landslides and uncontrolled soil erosion, causing immense damage. The notification restricts mining, destructive industrial projects, thermal power projects, new townships and large constructions in sensitive areas, but imposes no other restrictions. Download the TOI App.