The committee said if an area fulfills even one of the 20 criteria it listed, it can be declared an ESA. Activists say Sindhudurg fulfills several criteria (see box).
Located 500km from Mumbai, Sindhudurg has the highest green cover in the state but is being converted into a mining hub. “The Sahyadri Ecologically Sensitive Area was proposed in 1999-2000 for an 8,000-sq-km area but the environment ministry rejected it," said Jay Samant, former director of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). In 2003, green activists submitted the North Konkan Ecologically Sensitive Area report to the environment ministry seeking protection for the area but no action was taken.
Valsa Nair Singh, state environment secretary, said: “The state doesn't have any information about demands that the area be declared an ESA." Read the full report here.
Source: Tanumoy Bose, Hindustan Times, Mumbai.
