Time is running out for hundreds of families in Kerala’s high ranges. With just two weeks left to file objections, communities across four villages in Kottayam district are mounting a fierce campaign against a proposed federal designation that they fear could upend their lives and livelihoods.

Key facts

  • 60-day objection window closes in two weeks
  • Four villages newly included in ESA draft: Koottikkal, Melukavu, Poonjar Thekkekkara, Teekoy
  • Estimated impact: 70,000 people
  • State seeking to reduce ESA area from 9,993.7 sq km to 8,590.69 sq km

Groundswell of Opposition

The July 27 draft notification from New Delhi placed these agricultural communities on the map for Ecologically Sensitive Areas—a move that has triggered alarm bells from farmsteads to local government offices. Residents worry the ESA tag could bring harsh restrictions on their plantations and block essential development in areas they’ve cultivated for generations.

In Koottikkal, the response has been swift and unified. The panchayat convened special grama sabhas across all 14 wards, held an urgent council meeting, and passed a formal resolution against the proposal. That document now heads to state and federal authorities by registered post—a paper trail of determined resistance.

“There are around 30,000 people in Koottikkal panchayat and they unanimously seek the exclusion of the panchayat from ESA limits,” said Ancy Sebastian, president of Koottikkal panchayat.

Sebastian’s voice carries both conviction and warning. She says the entire village—from children to elders—stands ready to take their protest to the streets if their demands go unheard.

The Heart of the Dispute

At the core of this conflict lies a fundamental disagreement over land classification. Satellite surveys might show green canopy, but residents insist these are working farms, not untouched wilderness.

“There is not an inch of forest land in the panchayat,” Sebastian emphasizes. “The residents are mostly farmers and have cultivated rubber, plantains, jackfruit and other crops here. In satellite surveys, these plantations might have been mistaken for forest cover.”

Her argument resonates through the terraced slopes where rubber, cardamom, coffee, pepper, coconut and banana plants form the economic backbone of these communities.

Political Momentum Builds

The movement has drawn support across political lines. Kerala Congress leader and Government Chief Whip Apu John Joseph promises “all possible steps” to secure the villages’ exclusion from the ESA map.

Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan is scheduled to visit Idukki on September 25 for stakeholder meetings on the issue—a sign the state government is taking these concerns seriously.

Pathanamthitta MP Anto Antony echoes the prevailing sentiment: “The United Democratic Front had consistently maintained that non-forest land should not be brought under the ESA.”

Meanwhile, the Kerala government has already proposed scaling back the federal ESA plan—seeking to reduce the affected area by over 1,400 square kilometers and drop 33 villages from the designation. It’s a balancing act between conservation and community, with thousands of families watching the outcome.