Karnataka rejects Western Ghats eco-sensitive area proposal in current form

Karnataka’s legislature has unanimously rejected the Kasturirangan Committee report on the Western Ghats in its current form, opposing a draft proposal to declare parts of the range an Ecologically Sensitive Area. The resolution, passed on September 22, responded to the Environment Ministry’s seventh draft, published on July 27. The draft gave Karnataka 60 days to submit objections.

Successive State governments have rejected earlier versions since the first draft was issued in 2014. Karnataka has the largest area proposed for notification among the six Western Ghats States, spread across 10 districts. The latest draft would cover a total of 4,402 villages across the region, although the final boundaries are expected to reflect State views, stakeholder submissions and the recommendations of an expert committee.

The Kasturirangan committee recommended that about 59,940 square kilometres of the Western Ghats be declared ecologically sensitive. Its proposed area included 20,668 square kilometres and 1,576 villages in Karnataka. A later draft seeks to notify 56,825 square kilometres after changes made following surveys and submissions by States.

The recommendations would prohibit mining, quarrying, sand extraction, red-category industries, thermal power plants and construction of buildings larger than 20,000 square metres. Township and area-development projects would also be prohibited. Other infrastructure projects would require environmental clearance, while hydropower projects could proceed under specified conditions.

Karnataka has argued that the notified area should be confined to forest areas and should exclude plantations, agricultural and horticultural land, and residential and public areas. It has also objected to demarcation based on satellite data without a joint physical survey. The State says there is no accurate separation of revenue and forest land and that questions involving forest rights, land grants, deemed forests and pending legal cases require examination.

It has also opposed including entire villages when only part of their area is forest. The Kasturirangan report covers a smaller area than the earlier Gadgil committee’s proposal. Gadgil recommended treating the entire Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive, with different levels of restriction, while Kasturirangan divided the region into natural and cultural landscapes.