80% of draft ESA in State already conserved as it comes under reserved/protected forests, says Khandre
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Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister B. Eshwar Khandre, who earlier held the Forest portfolio, on Monday, pointed out that 80% of the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), whose draft had been notified by the Centre, was already part of either a tiger reserve or a reserved/protected forest.
“Of the total 20,668 sq. km of land that has been identified as ESA in Karnataka, about 16,000 sq. km of area is part of tiger reserves or reserved/protect forests,” the Minister told the Assembly during the debate on the Kasturirangan report.
“The concern now is that, apart from the 16,000 sq. km, 1,449 villages coming under 10 districts have also figured in the ESA. We need to convince the Centre to drop these villages from the ESA,” he said.
He pointed out that the ESA for the neighbouring Keralam had been reduced from the earlier 13,000 sq. km to 9,900 sq. km now, to ensure that the livelihood of people was not affected.
Mr. Khandre alleged that the committee led by forest officer Sanjay Kumar, which had been constituted by the Centre to examine the opinions of States and affected people on the Kasthurirangan report, had not bothered to visit affected villages. “If that committee had executed its responsibilities properly, Karnataka would have got justice,” he argued.
At the same time, Mr. Khandre stressed the need to strike a balance between the environment and the livelihoods of people, as the protection of the pristine Western Ghats was also important for the survival of people, as several rivers take their origin in these Ghats.
Congress member A.S. Ponnanna expressed concern that 46.5% of the Western Ghats area in Karnataka had been categorised as ESA in the draft notification issued by the Centre. “The bone of contention is the cultural landscape, as this has been decided without consulting people or visiting the affected area,” he said.
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