Digital Goa, July 30 – CM Pramod Sawant on Wednesday urged people not to create “misunderstanding” and “confusion” over the draft Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) notification for the Western Ghats, stressing that it is only a draft and that stakeholders have adequate opportunity to submit objections and suggestions. “The Government of India will issue the final notification only after hearing all stakeholders. They will listen to all that we have to say, and only then will the final notification be issued,” Sawant asserted. His remarks come after the Union Environment Ministry issued the draft ESA notification on July 27, 2026, retaining 108 villages in Goa within the proposed eco-sensitive area. Following the previous draft notification issued in July 2024 which had proposed to announce 108 villages as ESAs, the Goa Government had sought the exclusion of 21 villages from the proposed ESA—Sattari (12 of 63 villages), Dharbandora (5 of 13), Sanguem (3 of 26) and Canacona (1 of 5). However, the Centre has not accepted the State’s request in the latest draft notification.
