Declare Sawantwadi-Dodamarg 'Eco-Sensitive', Government Urged

In a memorandum to union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh, Sumaira Ali, chief of the Awaaz Foundation, has said that the region is a bio-diversity hotspot and more than 80 percent of the villages in the area have already demanded ESA status through resolutions.

Sumaira pointed out that areas with considerably less bio-diversity like the hill-stations of Matheran, Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani and Dahanu have already been declared ESAs.

Though Jairam Ramesh's intervention has resulted in a stay on mining leases, Sumaira said that the region is under threat from over 30 mining leases. Read the full report here.

Source: Sify News, Mumbai.