Karnataka Rejects Kasturirangan Report, Vows to Protect Malnad Livelihoods

BENGALURU, Sept 8: Karnataka on Tuesday stepped up its opposition to the Kasturirangan Committee report on the Western Ghats, with Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa asserting that the State Government would not permit its implementation under any circumstances and would protect the land, agriculture and livelihoods of people in the Malnad region.

Addressing a Congress padayatra and protest at Thirthahalli demanding that the report be scrapped, Bangarappa said Karnataka had repeatedly rejected its recommendations and accused the BJP-led Union Government of continuing to push the proposal through successive draft notifications despite the State's objections.

“The Kasturirangan report will not be allowed to be implemented under any circumstances. Our government is committed to protecting every household in Malnad,” he said.

The Kasturirangan Committee had recommended declaring around 37 per cent of the Western Ghats, covering nearly 60,000 sq km across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, as an Eco-Sensitive Area (ESA).

Bangarappa said the government supported environmental conservation but would not accept restrictions that threatened the lives and livelihoods of communities living in the Western Ghats.

“The Western Ghats are our pride and environmental protection is necessary. But in the name of environmental protection, we cannot accept any measure that puts the people of Malnad, who live in harmony with the environment, into difficulty,” he said.

Recalling the earlier steps taken by the Congress government, Bangarappa said a Cabinet sub-committee was constituted on the issue during Siddaramaiah's tenure as Chief Minister, following which Karnataka rejected the Kasturirangan recommendations.

He said the Centre had issued the draft notification for the seventh time despite Karnataka's repeated opposition, triggering renewed resentment among people in the Malnad belt.

Farmers in Shivamogga and neighbouring Malnad districts have been demanding a physical survey and the exclusion of human settlements and cultivated agricultural land from the proposed ESA limits.

Bangarappa also launched a political attack on the BJP, questioning the participation of Shivamogga MP B.Y. Raghavendra and former Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Shobha Karandlaje in a crucial meeting convened by the Centre on August 11, 2016.

“Today, the BJP is making big statements on this issue. But did Raghavendra and Shobha attend that meeting?” he asked.

The Minister said 139 villages in Thirthahalli taluk had figured in the first six draft notifications, while the latest draft proposed increasing the number to 154.

Questioning the local BJP leadership, Bangarappa asked, “What is local BJP MLA Araga Jnanendra doing on this issue?”

The padayatra, led by former minister Kimmane Ratnakar, began at Binthala and ended at the Shanthaveri Gopalagowda Rangamandira. Congress workers raised slogans against the BJP and the Union Government during the protest.