Kasturirangan report: K’taka govt to hold one-day special session on Western Ghats

Bengaluru, Aug 26 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar on Wednesday announced that the state government would convene a one‑day special session of the legislature to discuss the Centre’s draft notification declaring parts of the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) based on the recommendations of the K. Kasturirangan Committee.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Congress MLCs and candidates who had contested the previous Assembly elections, Shivakumar said the issue would be discussed and a bipartisan decision taken.

“The seventh draft notification issued by the Centre based on the Kasturirangan report should not be finalised in its present form. The Centre has proposed declaring 56,000 sq km across six states as an ESA. In Karnataka, 20,668 sq km covering 33 taluks in 10 districts and 1,449 villages has been proposed,” he said.

The districts include Belagavi, Chamarajanagar, Chikkamagaluru, Madikeri, Hassan, Karwar, Mangaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga and Udupi. Shivakumar said the notification could adversely affect farmers’ livelihoods and future development.

He recalled that the Siddaramaiah‑led Cabinet had unanimously urged the Centre to reject the Kasturirangan Committee recommendations and withdraw the draft notification issued on July 31, 2024.

“However, the Centre has taken a unilateral decision. The state government does not accept this,” he said.

The matter will be discussed in the Cabinet, and public opinion will be sought. Shivakumar said awareness campaigns would be launched, adding, “The Centre should respect Karnataka’s position. The matter will be discussed within the legal framework. The Centre cannot have one set of rules for Karnataka and another elsewhere.”

On drought management, Shivakumar said more than 100 taluks were expected to be declared drought‑hit soon, with additional taluks considered later. He said he would lead a delegation to Delhi to seek relief from the Centre.

Ministers have been instructed to visit districts on the first and third Saturdays of every month to resolve grievances locally. The programme will be extended to hobli level across all 224 Assembly constituencies. The party has created a Prajaseva Department to help MLAs listen to people’s concerns at the panchayat level.

Shivakumar said he would meet Union Ministers and legal experts in Delhi to discuss the Western Ghats issue and also hold talks with senior Congress leaders on the foundation‑laying ceremony for the party office.

--IANS

mka/dan