The Sawantwadi-Dodamarg corridor has been designated as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), per a Wednesday order from the Bombay High Court.
A petition submitted by the NGOs Vanashakti and Awaaz Foundation, among others, was considered by a bench of Justices Nitin Jamdar and Manjusha Deshpande.
The petition asked that the corridor be designated as an ESA. The court stated that no ruling regarding this matter has been announced since 2013 in any way.
Vanashakti's attorney, Zaman Ali, stated that the Maharashtra government and the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF) both produced affidavits stating their agreement for the land to be designated as an ESA.
However, the MoEF has now informed the court that they will swiftly approve and declare the area an ESA if the state sends a formal petition, added Ali.
On Wednesday, the judges questioned why the petitions weren't regularly scheduled for hearing. Advocate Ali responded by stating that the state had previously stated that satellite mapping was in progress.
However, none of that has been provided to the petitioners, Ali continued. The state government also claimed that the Wildlife Institute of India was enlisted to submit a report on the matter.
The court then instructed PP Kakde, a government representative for Maharashtra, to follow orders and submit an affidavit outlining the steps the state took to proclaim this region.
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