The Kerala government allowed "illegal human habitat expansion and mining" in the state's fragile region which resulted in the devastating landslides in Wayanad district, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Monday. Yadav told PTI Video that the consultation with the states on the notification of eco-sensitive zone in the Western Ghats should be finalised soon. The environment ministry has issued six draft notifications, including one issued on July 31, since March 10, 2014, to declare over 56,800 square kilometres of the Western Ghats across six states as eco-sensitive but the final notification is pending amid objections from states. Yadav said an expert panel set up in April 2022 to find a breakthrough is in "constant touch with the states". "Since the ownership of forests is with the states, we had asked them to submit their objections and suggestions to the committee headed by former director general of forest Sanjay Kumar. There should be consultation with local Read The Rest at :