MARGAO, April 25 -- Responding to the Goa government's plea, which seeks the removal of 40 villages and the addition of 10 contiguous ones from the Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) list, the Union Environment Ministry has instructed the State governments to provide details on villages to be added or removed from the ESA of the Western Ghats. This directive comes as the committee overseeing the matter aims to finalise its report before June.

The ministry had emphasised the need for the State to submit a comprehensive proposal within 15 days, as the validity of the draft notification expires in June.

Essentially the ministry is seeking justification regarding the exclusion of the 40 villages, taking into account various factors such as ...