Sagar farmers stage protest opposing ESA draft notification
Farmers in Sagar staged a protest against the Union government's draft notification to declare parts of the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area. Protesters fear that the restrictions will negatively impact agricultural activities and human settlements in the region.
Why it matters
The conflict illustrates the tension between environmental conservation efforts and the livelihoods of rural communities in ecologically fragile zones.
Hundreds of farmers staged a protest and attempt to lay siege to the Assistant Commissioner’s office in Sagar on Thursday, opposing the draft notification issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change declaring parts of the Western Ghats as Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), as per the recommendations of the expert committee headed by K. Kasturirangan.
The protest is the latest in a series of demonstrations across Malnad districts against the notification — the Centre’s seventh such draft on the subject — which farmers’ groups say threatens to bring inhabited areas and farmland under ESA restrictions.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in