Context: Recently, the tribal communities have been protesting against the Centre’s notification classifying 121 villages around the Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Narmada district as eco-sensitive zones.
Why are tribal communities protesting against the notification?

• Land belonging to the eco-sensitive zone should be used for agriculture use only and cannot be used for commercial, industrial and residential purpose.
• Any land can be transferred only after approval from the state government and process has been initiated to include the state government as the co-owner of the land.
• Formation of the Statue of Unity has left tribals in a state of mistrust and fear that government could dilute the power vested with villagers under the Panchayat (Extension of Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, implemented in areas notified under Schedule V of the Constitution.

About Panchayat (Extension of Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), 1996

• In 1995, based on the report of the Bhuria Committee, the Parliament enacted the PESA to extend Part IX of the Constitution with certain modifications and exceptions to the Schedule V areas.
• Article 243M of the Constitution exempts the Fifth Schedule areas from Part IX of the Constitution.
• It provides that Parliament may by law extend its provisions to the Scheduled and Tribal Areas subject to such exceptions and modifications as may be specified in such law and no such law shall be deemed to be an amendment to the Constitution.
• The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is the nodal Ministry for implementation of the provisions of PESA in the States.
• At present Scheduled V areas exist in 10 States. viz. Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana.

About Eco-Sensitive Zone

• The eco-sensitive zones are the area around protected areas including a wildlife sanctuary, national parks and tiger reserves- up to 10 km.
• They are envisaged as a cushion or shock absorbers for protected areas and provide transition zones from high protection area to low protection area.
• They are notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) under Environment Protection Act, 1986.

Activities under Eco-sensitive zones are divided into 3 categories:

• Prohibited such as: Commercial mining, tourism activities, Industries, etc.
• Restricted with safeguards: tree cutting, the establishment of hotels and resorts, etc.
• Permissible: organic farming, the use of green and renewable energy sources and technologies, etc.

About Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary

• It is located in the Narmada district of Gujarat.
• It is located in the western Satpura Range south of the Narmada River.
• The sanctuary was first declared a protected area in 1982.
• It was called the ‘Dumkhal Sanctuary’ and was created especially for the protection of sloth bears.
• It shares a common boundary with Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.