Buffer zone row: Farmers’ issue not being addressed, says Church weekly

KOCHI: ‘Sathyadeepam’ weekly published by Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese in its latest editorial called for ensuring the rights of farmers in the backdrop of the Supreme Court order making a buffer zone of one-kilometre radius mandatory around protected forests. The editorial says farmers in the valley are not encroachers or quarry owners.

The editorial criticised legislators for not addressing the issue with the importance it deserves in the assembly session. “The main topic of discussions in the current assembly session is the attack on the party office,” said the editorial.

The farmers’ demand is that the state government should approach the central empowered committee as a first step. Even as political parties and activists go ahead with protests including hartals demanding redetermination of the buffer zone by excluding human settlements, farmers fear the final SC verdict will not be in their favour, it said.

As the SC verdict does not allow constructions in the Eco Sensitive Zone, which is 0-1km from the protected forests, there will be restrictions on even building houses.“The total area of wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala is around 3.21 crore square kilometres. The buffer zone will be about four lakh square kilometres.

Farms, schools, houses, small business centres, hospitals, churches and other institutions exist in this area. If the restrictions are enforced strictly, the public will be in preventive detention in reality,” said the editorial. “The implementation of the proposed buffer zone will directly impact around two lakh people in Wayanad district alone.” Also, the fact that the new regulatory measures to secure forest cover reducing the space for the growing population should not go unnoticed, it said.

“The Kerala government is planning to approach the SC with a petition to revisit its verdict. While the Central government has taken the stand that it would implement the order only after getting opinions and suggestions from states including Kerala, right-wing parties have chosen to criticise both governments for political gains. The farmers are saddened that the political parties are playing hide and seek on the issue.”
The editorial added that the farmers living in the hilly areas are not encroachers. “Not all are quarry owners either. Don’t forget that you’re evicting agriculture and farming culture when you are evicting farmers.”