The field verification of the structures in the one-kilometre Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of the protected areas of Kerala will begin this week.
Asset mapper, an application developed by the Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre (KSRSEC), will be modified for the purpose. While the various government departments including the Forest and Irrigation departments and the Kerala State Electricity Board will take stock of their buildings and other structures, the service of Kudumbasree members will be used to identify the other structures located within the ESZ of the 22 protected areas of the State. The Kudumbasree workers and other officials involved in the process will be trained for the job.
The field verification is being done by the State government for preparing the report to be submitted before the Supreme Court, which had ordered that the ESZ shall be identified and demarcated. The revenue records available with the State authorities will also be used for the field verification process. Data on the nature of the buildings like commercial or residential ones, the survey number in which they are located, and their distance from the forest boundary will also be recorded.
Incidentally, some organisations of farmers had announced that they will not permit the physical verification of the structures in the ESZ.
The study carried out by the KSRSECe had earlier identified 49,330 subsisting structures using remote sensing data in the zone.
Even while mapping the structures using satellite images, there exists the possibility of some structures being left out. The thick canopy of the forest may obstruct the visibility of buildings, which may go unlisted. Once the list of structures is submitted before the Supreme Court, it would become the authentic data and the unlisted buildings may be deemed illegal ones. Hence the field verification, explained an official.
The data thus prepared will be made available in the public domain for comments. If any building or structure located within the ESZ has not been included in the list, the public could bring the information to the notice of the authorities during the period, the official said. The ESZ of the State has been estimated as 1,588.709 sq km.
