80% of draft ESA in State already conserved as it comes under reserved/protected forests, says Khandre

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.