BM Bureau, Dec 29: This may not be good news to lovers of nature and ecologists as the ecologically precious Western ghats region in Karnataka is now under severe threat. This is because Government of Karnataka has decided to ‘out rightly’ reject the K Kasturirangan Committee report. A Cabinet sub-committee headed by Revenue Minister R Ashok has recommended the government accordingly. The decision comes just ahead of the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) December 31 deadline for its implementation.
The K Kasturirangan Committee report has recommended that 20,668 sq km spread across 11 districts in the Western Ghats including Belagavi cradling 1,592 villages be declared as an Ecological Sensitive Area (ESA), bringing them under restrictions banning development activities and declaring about 10 kms of adjacent areas as buffer zone for the same.
“The Kasturirangan report is unscientific. This will affect the villagers in that region. There are loopholes in the and Karnataka has to inform the Centre about its stand,” he said. We have also permitted our officials to move the Supreme Court in case if any decision goes against our state,” he added.
According to Minister R Ashok,, the Kasturirangan report would affect states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu – with Karnataka comprising most of the area. “We won’t be able to even build schools or hospitals,” A written memorandum will be sent to the Centre “within the next two days”, Ashoka said.
The bad news for eco lovers is that the Cabinet sub-committee is also considering shrinking the eco-sensitive zone around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries from a 10-km radius to just one km. According to ecologists this would lead to a mass destruction of flora and fauna in the name of development.
