Overview
- The Union Environment Ministry published the seventh draft on July 27, 2026, proposing 56,825.7 sq km of the Western Ghats as an ecologically sensitive area and opening a 60-day window for public objections.
- The draft keeps the same state-wise footprint as the prior version: Karnataka 20,668 sq km, Maharashtra 17,340 sq km, Kerala 9,993.7 sq km, Tamil Nadu 6,914 sq km, Goa 1,461 sq km and Gujarat 449 sq km.
- It retains strict limits on activity inside the proposed ESA, including a ban on new mining, quarrying and sand mining, a five-year phase-out for existing mines, prohibition of new thermal plants, bans on 'red' category polluting industries and curbs on large construction and township projects.
- State-level disagreements remain a barrier to finalisation: Karnataka continues to oppose the draft, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have outstanding discrepancies, Goa’s request to cut village coverage was not accepted, and an expert committee led by Sanjay Kumar has had its mandate extended to July 2027 to review objections.
- The move restarts a decade-long, iterative process that began with Gadgil and Kasturirangan reviews and could be finalised state-wise or as a single notification; the decision will affect mining leases, major projects, forest-land clearances and the daily lives of people in the notified villages.