By doing this, it will be feasible to build homes, hotels, and resorts along the edges of forests as well as install windmills for power generation. Birds frequently perish in turbine accidents, therefore the committee led by Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre examined the effects of installing wind turbines in-depth but ultimately made the decision. Since the decision falls within the guidelines established by the Supreme Court, the government is not technically in the wrong.
Source: X.com
The court had established a 1-kilometre buffer zone surrounding protected forests in June 2023, inside which no development work was permitted. But in April of this year, the court changed its order and lifted the broad prohibition in response to a review appeal submitted by the Centre. The restriction will have a significant negative impact on the livelihood of the people who have lived in the buffer zone for centuries, according to many states, including Kerala.
The court had stated that its prior judgement was unworkable and would prevent a villager from building or renovating his home as well as the government from starting the construction of schools and public health facilities.Sadly, the court also approved various projects of national and strategic importance including highway construction in the buffer zone, even though it also noted that the measures taken by the Center to protect ESZS were adequate.
Source: Live Law
As it shields forests and wildlife from harmful human involvement, a buffer zone is crucial to conservation. Finding a balance between ecological issues and the interests of the original people is a key component of buffer zone management. Allowing unrestrained commercial activity will eventually allow for the encroachment of forests, which will have a negative influence on conservation. Forest regions have already been appropriated by businesses like resorts on a number of occasions.
The administration will be accused of acting under pressure from special groups, and the decision will only signal the end for our already declining woods. The state’s ecology and environment should have been Khandre’s top priority, hence he shouldn’t have participated in such a choice as the minister of forests.
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