Centre notifies 25 villages in Dodamarg-Sawantwadi as ESAs

Keri: The ministry of environment, forest and climate change has notified 25 villages of Dodamarg-Sawantwadi as ecologically sensitive areas (ESA).

It has notified 212.6 sqkm spread across 25 villages as ESAs on the ground that Dodamarg-Sawantwadi has a variety of flora and fauna. The corridor also has dense tropical and semi-evergreen forests, facilitating essential wildlife movement between the protected areas.


These villages support populations of threatened species such as tigers, leopards, Asian elephants and other flora and fauna.

With ESA status, quarrying and mining are prohibited in these areas. The notification states that the monitoring committee can grant permission for limited quarrying of materials required for construction, repairs of houses of locals and building roads in these villages and their maintenance. The works to be approved, however, will be after site evaluation and in accordance with court orders.

The 25 villages will now be eligible to have thermal power projects, and no expansion of existing plants will be allowed.

Besides, industries categorised red by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will not be allowed in these villages. If any such unit exists in any of the 25 villages, they will not be permitted to expand.

The notification also states new and expansion projects of building and construction with built up area of 20,000 sqm and above, of townships and area development projects with an area of 50 hectares and above or with built up area of 1.5 lakh sqm and above shall be prohibited. The notification has no bearing on existing houses.

The notification was issued on Feb 22 after its draft was published in April last year, inviting suggestions and objections from persons likely to be affected. Govt issued the notification complying with the high court order in a PIL by Awaaz Foundation.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Holi wishes, messages and quotes !