State rejects Kasturirangan committee report

The Karnataka government on Thursday decided to reject the Kasturirangan committee report on the protection of the ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs) Western Ghats region from environmental degradation, despite advocating in the last few months that the report would be reviewed.

The Karnataka government on Thursday decided to reject the Kasturirangan committee report on the protection of the ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs) Western Ghats region from environmental degradation, despite advocating in the last few months that the report would be reviewed.

After a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil said a decision was taken to reject the recommendations of the committee report, which legislators had been strongly opposing.

The Centre, based on the Kasturirangan committee report, had in 2014 published a draft notification identifying the ESAs and suggested measures for its protection.

Cutting across political lines, MLAs and MPs from districts such as Shivamogga, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Chikkaamagaluru, Kodagu, and Uttara Kannada, all of which come under the Western Ghats region, have been strongly opposing the implementation of the report.

Many legislators said people living in villages would be affected if the recommendations were implemented in toto as the villages fell under the Western Ghats area.

In August 2024, Forest, Environment, and Ecology Minister Eshwar B. Khandre, who is also chairman of the Cabinet sub-committee said that the recommendations of the committee would be placed before the Cabinet. The previous BJP government led by Basavaraj Bommai too had opposed the report.