Coalition releases Kannada version of seventh ESA draft

A coalition has published a Kannada translation of the seventh draft concerning an ecologically sensitive area, seeking to make the document more accessible to communities in Karnataka, The Hindu reported. The move follows the Union government’s publication of the draft in English and Hindi. The source says the largest share of the proposed protected area is in Karnataka, but the government document was not issued in Kannada.

The coalition said its translation was intended to bridge an information gap for local communities. Publishing the draft in Kannada would allow people who rely on the language to read the proposal directly, although the available material does not specify which organisations make up the coalition. The report does not provide the geographical extent of the proposed area, the provisions of the seventh draft or a date for public responses.

It also does not state whether the government has responded to the coalition’s translation or whether an official Kannada version will be issued. The translation therefore addresses access to the draft rather than changing the government’s proposal. On the information available, the central issue is the language in which residents can examine a plan affecting an area whose largest share lies in Karnataka.