By Ashraf Padanna/Thiruvananthapuram


Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy left for New Delhi yesterday to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of his Congress Party.
Chandy is expected to discuss during his maiden meeting with the new prime minister, whom he had met at the chief ministers’ conclaves earlier, the reported move to implement the Madhav Gadgil committee’s report restricting settlements to protect the Western Ghats.
The chief minister, who missed Modi’s swearing-in ceremony due to his daughter’s wedding, will make a “courtesy call” at 11am today. He would also urge the prime minister to include some of Kerala’s projects in his 100-day programme as the state has no representation in the Modi ministry.
He is also likely to discuss a cabinet revamp with the Congress leadership to give a facelift in the run-up to assembly elections less than two years away. He had promised to take back K B Ganesh Kumar, who resigned following a marital discord, but his party colleagues are opposed to it.
“We have completed all necessary proceedings for the final notification on Western Ghats, including the demarcation of villages under 123 ecologically sensitive areas. As the environment minister has made a statement that a decision will be taken by June 4, we’ll demand restraint,” Chandy said.
Under pressure from people who fear limits to their routine life, the previous government appointed another panel headed by Dr Kasturirangan, which was also rejected by the settlers. The state then appointed its own panel that reworked it to their satisfaction.
Fresh fears were raised after Gadgil said last week that he was consulted on the environmental issues by the new central government and he wanted his report to be implemented. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar later confirmed this.
The implementation of the report was one of the agendas of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during elections in Kerala. The Congress suffered heavily in their traditional bastions, as it failed to allay the concerns of the community.
Environment activists pin their hope on the new government to adopt stricter recommendations in the Gadgil panel report while the Communist-backed Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP) is reviving a campaign for its implementation.