• Growers’ delegation meets CM; MLAs demand Kerala model
• Report proposes Western Ghats as ‘Ecologically Sensitive Area’

Madikeri/Bengaluru: Notwithstanding  the recent formation of a Cabinet Committee to study the Kasturirangan Report and make recommendations to the Centre on its implementation, a delegation of coffee growers and members of Karnataka Growers Federation recently met Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to raise their concerns about the Report that has proposed Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA).

The Kasturirangan Report aims to bring about 37 percent of the Western Ghats under ESA zones. It has recommended prohibition of development activities within 60,000 sq. km of ESA spread over Karnataka, Gujarat, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra. The Report has recommended that 20,668 sq km spread across 11 districts in the Western Ghats cradling 1,592 villages, be declared as an ESA.

The delegation told the CM that the Report imposes restrictions on agricultural activities in sensitive areas. Farmers will not be allowed to use chemical fertilisers. Moreover, many people are not aware of the Report. There has been no attempt either to inform the people or engage them in dialogue with regard to the process, the delegation said. 

Hundreds of people have their dwelling places in the deemed forest areas and all of them will be evicted, they said. 

Apart from the CM, the delegation, under the leadership of Dr. H.T. Mohan Kumar, MLA Araga Jnanendra and former MLA H.M. Vishwanath also met Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, Ministers R. Ashok and K. Gopalaiah. They also met former Chief Ministers Siddharamaiah and Jagadish Shettar and many MLAs to convey their concerns. 

Declaration of the Western Ghats as ESA would cause problems to thousands of villagers living in the region in the State and they would be asked to shift to other places if the Report was implemented, they argued. 

State to approach NGT

Meanwhile, the State Government is likely to approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to implead itself in the case on implementation of the Report. 

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Suresh Kumar, who was replying to the Assembly on Thursday, said the Government is exploring options to clarify Karnataka’s stand before the Tribunal.

BJP members urged the Government to adopt the Kerala model for implementation of Kasturirangan Report recommendations. They feared that the final notification could trigger violence in villages located in the Western Ghats. 

Kerala model

MLA V. Sunil Kumar urged the Government to resurvey the villages identified in the Report as per the Kerala model. Araga Jnanendra said Kerala compiled a report identifying various zones in villages as soon as the Report was filed, reducing the eco-sensitive area from 13,108 sq km to around 9,000 sq km. If Karnataka follows the Kerala model, the 20,668 sq km area eco-sensitive area can be reduced to around 13,000 sq km, he added. 

They urged the State to impress upon the Centre that the problems and situations of different States were different and it was not correct and proper to take a uniform decision covering all States. 

“The Centre must take into account the concerns and views of all States and the people, who are the real stakeholders,” the MLAs said.