Author: Shaju Philip
updated at 9:26 IST on January 2, 2023
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| Farmers burn copies of the buffer zone survey report in the Kannur district of Kerala's Kottiyoor. |
After the government made a satellite survey report on lands that would be included in the suggested one-kilometer buffer zone surrounding 22 wildlife sanctuaries and parks in the state public, protests broke out all throughout Kerala.
Pokkathayil Mathew abandoned his house and one-and-a-half acres of farmland near the Aralam sanctuary seven years ago because he was tired of being constantly attacked and raided by wild creatures from the adjacent jungles. Mathew, who resides in Adakkathodu village in Kelakam panchayat abutting Aralam, a wildlife sanctuary covering over 55 sq km, says he relocated to a new house in the village, a little farther from the forest, in the hopes that he would eventually be able to sell his property.
Now, Mathew feels trapped. Mathew and other villagers are concerned about the potential effects of the planned buffer zone or eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) on their way of life in the north Keralan panchayats of Kelakam and Kottiyoor.
"Our land is not being purchased because of the danger of a buffer zone that hangs over our heads. While my farm is vacant, I am raising a cow to make ends meet. Because I'm afraid of the wildlife, I'm unable to cultivate, and I'm unable to sell that land either," he claims.
After the government made a satellite survey report on lands that would be included in the suggested one-kilometer buffer zone surrounding 22 wildlife sanctuaries and parks in the state public, protests broke out all throughout Kerala. The study was conducted in response to a Supreme Court ruling dated June 3 that mandated that all national parks and animal sanctuaries in the nation set aside a 1-kilometer buffer zone where banned activities defined by the Center, including mining, No new permanent structures may be erected, neither will their establishment.
Read this: What are Eco-Sensitive Zones, and why are there demonstrations against them in Kerala.
Kerala, a state with a high population density, significant amounts of forest, and a quick rate of development, felt the effects of the Supreme Court's rulings the most keenly. Kerala is home to over 40% of the Western Ghats.
Pinarayi Vijayan, the chief minister, attempted to allay the demonstrators' anxieties last week. "It is absolutely evident to us that the buffer zone should not include any populated or agricultural areas outside of the forests. He had stated that the state will tell the Supreme Court of the practical challenges involved in establishing a buffer zone around farmlands that are close to forests.
Farmers worry that the limitations, rules, and bans that the buffer zone is slated to usher in would lead to their eventual expulsion despite the government's assurances.
Almost all of the villages in the twin panchayats of Kelakam and Kottiyoor, two of the 22 protected forest tracts in the state, are inside the planned one-kilometer buffer zones of either the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary or the Kottiyoor Wildlife Sanctuary. The settlements have paved roads, and hundreds of houses are scattered over the hillside. The villages are traversed by a section of the ambitious Hill Route, a planned 1,332-km state highway that would connect Kerala's southern and northern ends. However, many in these communities worry that the buffer zone limitations, which include a prohibition on road-widening projects and tree cutting, would hinder economic operations and ultimately leave their property unusable.
Benny Chamanatt is one of 176 farmers and landowners in the Kottiyoor panchayat who applied last year for the voluntary relocation programme run by the forest department. Under this programme, farmers who give up their lands close to forests are compensated with up to two hectors of land worth Rs 15 lakh.
Must Read |Kerala to ban habitations inside a 1-km forest eco zone
My land didn't previously border the forest. However, when those who lived close to the woodlands gradually gave up on their land, wild creatures began to colonise it. The forest is now just outside my door. I'm not convinced the relocation programme will be put into action now that there is a buffer zone. I'll be left with no choice but to give up my property and move, says the 50-year-old.
According to officials, panchayat land sales have all but ceased.
In Kottiyoor, the village office is the fundamental division of the revenue department. According to Mukesh Antony, an assistant officer there, "Up until a few years ago, our office used to get 30 to 50 applications for changing the ownership of land" (mutation). It now only happens three or four times every month. The majority of current petitions include dividing land among family members. Because of the buffer zone, nobody from outside the hamlet purchases land here.
The value of the property has dropped dramatically, according to the villagers, and it is now impossible for them to mortgage it in order to pay off personal and school obligations.
Since this town is located in a buffer zone, our men have already experienced difficulty finding wives. We shall be compelled to depart the area in this manner. Sebastian Velikkakathu, a farmer in Kottiyoor panchayat, adds, "But we can't do that either since we can't sell our land.
According to K K Sathyan, secretary of the Kottiyoor Panchayat, the village's anxieties are valid. The residents worry that additional places will become part of the forest as a result of the buffer zone since wildlife assaults have risen. Many villages rely on MGNREGS to make ends meet while farmland has been sitting fallow. Even paying property taxes would be difficult for them. Our tax collecting camp received a pretty dismal response last week," he claims.
"We are entirely against any form of limitation that is expected to come in with the buffer zone," Kottiyoor Panchayat President Roy Nambudakam said.
Author: Shaju Philip
updated at 9:26 IST on January 2, 2023
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