Western Ghats protection: Section of residents, environmentalists counter Karnataka politicians’ claims

The debate over conservation of the Western Ghats, particularly in Karnataka, is far from over.

While the Karnataka Legislature adopted a unanimous resolution on September 22, urging the Centre to confine the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) identified in the Kasturirangan report to only notified forest areas, sections of residents in Western Ghats districts and environmentalists have termed the claims of ministers and politicians “misleading”.

They have begun creating awareness about the provisions of the report among residents and are urging people to read it to understand why its implementation is necessary for the Western Ghats.

Akhilesh Chipli, an environmentalist based in Sagara taluk, said copies of the draft ESA notification had been printed in Kannada for the benefit of the public. “This issue has been politicised for votes, irrespective of party affiliations. They are trying to protect illegal properties,” he alleged.