National Green Tribunal Order on the Western Ghats

On September 1, 2018, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) restrained the six Western Ghats States (Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, and Gujarat) from giving environmental clearance to activities that may adversely impact the eco-sensitive areas of the mountain ranges.

The panel directed that the extent of Eco-Sensitive Zones of Western Ghats, which was notified by the Central government earlier, should not be reduced in view of the recent floods in Kerala.

The Tribunal Bench, in its order, noted that any alteration in the draft notification of zones may seriously affect the environment, especially in view of recent incidents in Kerala. It was on a petition filed by the Goa Foundation that the Bench issued the order. The Principal Bench of the panel, which permitted the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to re-publish the draft notification on Eco-Sensitive Zones, which expired on August 26, 2018, also ordered that the matter may be finalised within six months. It also ordered that the draft of the republished notification be placed on the record of the tribunal.

The NGT pulled up the six States for the delay in filing objections regarding the notification and observed that the “delay on account of objections of States may not be conducive to the protection of the eco-sensitive areas” and the matter must be finalised at the earliest.

The Madhav Gadgil-led Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP)

had earlier proposed “much larger areas for being included in the eco-sensitive zone” though the Kasturirangan-led High Level Working Group, also appointed by the MoEFCC to look into the WGEEP report, had reduced it. The Ministry had accepted the Kasthurirangan report and issued the draft notifications on ecologically sensitive zones.

The Principal Bench of the tribunal, which noted that the ecology of the Western Ghats region was under serious stress, also highlighted the fact that Western Ghats region was one of the richest biodiversity areas which needed to be conserved.

Source: The Hindu dated September 3, 2018