Karnataka again rejects Kasturirangan report on Western Ghats

Bengaluru: Karnataka says no to the K Kasturirangan Committee report on the conservation of the Western Ghats said forest minister Anand Singh just before the deadline for its implementation.

The cabinet sub-committee led by the forest minister has said that the government has taken the stand against the implementation of the report on December 28 which was also the deadline.

The report had recommended declaring 20,668 square kilometres spread across 11 districts with 1,576 villages along the Western Ghats as Ecological Sensitive Area (ESA) to heighten conservation measures and place restrictions on some construction activities.

“The government believes that these restrictions will hamper some developmental works,” Singh said.

Speaking to the reporters, Revenue Minister, R Ashoka said that the report is unscientific and will affect the villagers in the region and is hence opposed by all gram panchayats there.

Ashoka said that they had to take a stand about the report and inform that to the Centre as they have to file the affidavit in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on December 31. The State is not a party to it.

He further added that the report would affect five States – Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. None of them will be able to carry out any developmental works including building schools or hospitals.

He further informed that within two days a written memorandum will be sent to the Centre regarding their stand and we have also told officials here to move the Supreme Court with a special petition if its decision goes against Karnataka.

The Cabinet sub-committee also plans to shrink the eco-sensitive zone around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries from a 10-kilometre radius to just 1 kilometre.