Kasturirangan report: Ker wants EFL restricted to 9,107 sq km

The Kerala government has decided to request the Centre to leave out 886.7 sqkm "non-forest land" from the area demarcated as Ecologically Fragile Land for the preservation of the Western Ghats.

"As per the Centre's February 2014 notification, 9993.7 sq km area in 123 villages was declared EFL, of which 9,107 sq km was complete forest and the rest was non-forest land," Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters during a cabinet briefing.

He said the decision to approach the Centre was taken in view of anxiety among people living in these 123 villages that had been demarcated ESL.

"Kerala wants that the forest area be declared as EFL as per the Kasturirangan report. The remaining 886.7 sq km area that includes human habitation should be left to the state for preservation and protection," Vijayan said.

The Chief Minister said the state government was also ready to make necessary changes in the law, if necessary.

To a question, he said the cabinet also decided to frame general guidelines for transfer of government employees. A consensus in this regard has been reached with all service organisations, he added.

"This is to avoid any complaints with regard to transfers in the future," Vijayan said.

The Chief Minister also dismissed criticism that the nine-month old LDF government was not effective, saying "there is no slackness in governance".

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)