Kerala to push Centre against forced land acquisition under environmental laws

Kerala's Forest Minister has assured farmers that the state will not allow forcible acquisition of land under environmental protection laws. Speaking at a discussion with farmer representatives from forest fringe areas in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, the Minister said any unavoidable land acquisition would be carried out only after providing adequate compensation.

The state plans to push the Centre to restrict the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) notification to 98 villages. The discussion focused on measures to address human-wildlife conflict and other concerns affecting farming communities in areas bordering forests.