No need to worry about ESA, says Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan

Chief Minister VD Satheesan addressed members of various organizations at Kattappana in Idukki on Friday. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

There is no need to worry about ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs), Chief Minister VD Satheesan said. Interacting with representatives of various organizations at Kattappana in Idukki on Friday (September 25, 2026), Mr. Satheesan said that no village has been completely included in the ESA list.

“The government has already made its stand clear: if there is forest land in any village, only that forest area will be included in the ESA list. Agricultural land and human habitation will not be included. The government has already made arrangements to publish maps demarcating the ESA notified areas. Once the maps are published, the public can verify whether their locality is included,” the chief minister said.

He reiterated that a map will be released soon that will clearly delineate human settlements from ESAs across villages. “The government will ensure that no residential areas come under the ESA tag. Moreover, the government has not converted any farmer’s land to ecologically fragile land (EFL),” Satheesan added.

council elections

Later, at a public meeting in Kattappana, Mr. Satheesan touched upon the recent assembly elections. He noted that five TV news channels had conducted pre-election polls predicting that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) would retain power, while he claimed that the United Democratic Front (UDF) would secure over 100 seats.

“When the results came, the UDF crossed the 100-seat mark. I also said that a dozen ministers in the previous LDF cabinet would be defeated, and in the end 13 ministers lost their seats,” Mr. Satheesan noted.

Published – 25 Sep 2026 19:55 IST