Karnataka CM to hold meetings in Udupi, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru on Kasturirangan report
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A view of the Western Ghats near Kudremukh in Karnataka. Following the seventh draft notification issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on July 28, the people of the Malnad and coastal regions have held several protests opposing the ESA notification. | Photo Credit: Murali Kumar K
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar will hold a series of meetings in the coastal and Malnad regions this weekend on the K. Kasturirangan Committee report, which led to a draft notification proposing to declare areas in Karnataka across the Western Ghats as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA).
Following the seventh draft notification issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on July 28, the people of the Malnad and coastal regions have held several protests opposing the ESA notification. They fear that if the notification comes into effect, their livelihoods would be badly affected. The notification concerns 20,668 sq. km spread over 10 districts and covering 1,576 villages. The Chief Minister has also announced that a special legislature session will be held on the issue.
Recently, residents of Shivamogga organised protests in various taluks to highlight the issue and to register their opposition to the notification.
As per the tour plan, Mr. Shivakumar will hold a meeting on the issue at Hebri in Udupi district on Friday September 18, after chairing a Cabinet meeting in Mangaluru earlier in the day.
The next day, Saturday September 19, he will hold a meeting at Tirthahalli in Shivamogga district. Later in the afternoon, he will hold another meeting at Balehonnur in N.R. Pura taluk of Chikkamagaluru district.
On September 15, Minister for School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa, who is the Minister-in-charge of Shivamogga district, announced that the Chief Minister would hold public meetings on the issue to gather people’s opinion. He appealed to people to attend the meetings in large numbers.
The Minister said the government of Karnataka would stand by the people of the region on the issue and would not allow the implementation of the K. Kasturirangan report. The draft notification would impact 484 villages in Shivamogga district, he said, restricting the lives of rural people. The area proposed for notification includes human habitation and cultivated land, and the restrictions on agricultural activity and housing would curb their growth, he added.
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