Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Monday, August 5, blamed the Kerala government for “allowing illegal habitation and mining” which he claimed, led to the horrific landslide in Wayanad.
Speaking to news agency PTI the Minister said, “The number one reason for the landslide was habitation. Number two was illegal mining with the protection of the local government and it’s very shameful.”
He also added that as states have ownership of forests, the Union government had already asked the Kerala government to submit its objections and suggestions to its committee to delineate eco-sensitive zones. The committee is headed by former director general for forests Sanjay Kumar. However, he alleged that the Kerala government was not “cooperating” with the committee.
“The Environment Ministry has issued six draft notifications, including one issued on July 31, since March 10, 2014, to declare over 56,800 square kilometres of the Western Ghats across six states as eco-sensitive but the final notification is pending amid objections from states,” Yadav reportedly also told PTI.
He further described the Western Ghats as one of the “most fragile regions in the country” similar to the Himalayas, adding that it is the state government’s responsibility to take “serious measures to prevent disasters in such regions.