In a shot in the arm to the ruling Congress-led UDF in the state ahead of Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission today accorded sanction to the Centre for issuing a draft notification addressing Kerala's concerns on the Kasturirangan Report on the Western Ghats conservation.
This was disclosed by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. The notification is aimed at allaying the fears of the settler farmers in upland areas that implementation of the report would adversely affect them.
They have been pressing for exempting 123 villages across the state from the ambit of the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) category as identified by the Kasturirangan report.
Chandy said the state government had earlier submitted an experts' panel report which wanted the human settlements, farm lands and plantations to be exempted from the ambit of ESA and "all demands of the state have been accepted".
Leaders of Kerala Congress (M), the third largest partner in UDF, which was keeping away from bilateral talks with Congress for seat sharing over the Kasturirangan report issue, also welcomed the EC's decision.
Kerala Congress-M (KCM) had pressed for a notification amidst protests by Catholic-church backed local resistance groups in high range areas of Idukki district.
The KC(M) leadership, which had taken a hard stand on the issue, relented from its tough position as the news of the draft notification was aired by local media.
"This is a welcome news after several days of uncertainty," KC(M) leader and government chief whip P C George said.
However, leaders of the Highrange Protection Committee, spearheading the agitation over the issue, said that they were not satisfied with the draft notification.
"Only a final notitication will satisfy us," they said.
Meanwhile, State CPI-M said the draft notitication was a ploy to "cheat" farmers in the high range areas.
In a statement, party state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan said EC's decision made it clear that final decision on the issue has been left to the new government at the Centre after the polls.
