Goa: Foot march next year to save Western Ghats

Panaji: Almost 35 years after a foot march attracted global attention towards the Western Ghats in India, a similar event would be held next year to push for the conservation of the ecologically sensitive area, a representative of the Save Western Ghats Movement (SWGM) said on Sunday.

The precise date of the foot march will be announced on November 1 this year, SWGM coordinator Kumar Kalanand Mani told PTI.

The core committee of the SWGM met at Madkai village in North Goa district on Friday and Saturday and resolved to work towards saving the Western Ghats, said Mani, who is also secretary of the NGO Peaceful Society.

The SWGM also decided to conduct a review of legislations pertaining to the conservation and protection of natural resources, especially the Western Ghats, he said.

“At the end of the review, we will send recommendations to the government,” he said.

The Western Ghats are spread over six states – Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

In November 1987, a 100-day-long foot march was organized by environmentalists and like-minded citizens, creating awareness about the Western Ghats mountain range and dangers that it has been facing due to human intervention and global ecological changes.