Kasturirangan Report: Physical Survey Proposal Will be Examined, Says Karnataka CM D.K. Shivakumar
Hebri(Udupi): Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday said the government would examine the demand for a physical survey of areas covered under the Kasturirangan report before finalising its stand on the proposed Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA).
Speaking at a meeting with residents, elected representatives and representatives of various organisations in Hebri, Udupi district, Shivakumar said the government wanted to understand the concerns of people in the affected areas before communicating its decision to the Centre.
“We have to send our decision to the Centre by the 27th. We have come here to hear your views and understand the problems you are facing. You have suggested an expert committee and a physical survey on the Kerala model. We will consider these suggestions and discuss the issue in the Assembly,” he said.
The government has convened a three-day special session of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly to discuss issues concerning farmers, drought and the Kasturirangan report. Shivakumar said the Kasturirangan report would be taken up for discussion on the first day of the session.
He added that he would visit Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru to hear the concerns of residents in those districts as well.
Representatives seek physical survey
Representatives at the meeting urged the government to conduct a physical survey before finalising the areas that could come under the Kasturirangan recommendations.
Senior advocate T.B. Shetty, Malekudiya community state president Sridhar Gowda, Udupi Farmers’ Association representative Uday Kumar Vandse, former gram panchayat presidents Naveen Adyanthaya and Dinesh Hegde, industrialist Muniyalu Uday Kumar Shetty, MP Kota Srinivasa Poojary and MLA Sunil Kumar were among those who spoke at the meeting.
The representatives said the Kasturirangan report covers about 13,000 sq km in Kerala and nearly 20,000 sq km in Karnataka. They pointed to Kerala’s use of a physical survey by a high-level committee to distinguish inhabited areas from forest areas.
According to them, the exercise in Kerala reduced the area covered under the recommendations, and a similar survey in Karnataka could potentially exclude around 5,000 sq km from the proposed ESA.
They also argued that the Kasturirangan committee primarily relied on satellite imagery and GPS-based mapping and did not undertake a physical survey on the ground.
The representatives expressed concern over the inclusion of populated areas under the proposed ESA. They questioned the mapping of villages and areas with significant human habitation and also raised concerns about the inclusion of areas with less than 20% protected forest cover.
Residents, they said, feared that implementation of the recommendations could affect their homes, agricultural activities and livelihoods.
They urged the government to constitute an expert committee and conduct a physical survey. The findings, they suggested, could subsequently be submitted to the Centre and, if required, placed before the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal.
Forest Rights Act concerns
Shivakumar also said the government would consider a proposal to introduce a uniform 25-year limit under the Forest Rights Act, noting that different provisions currently provide for 25-year and 75-year periods in certain cases.
“There is a 25-year limit for some and 75 years for others. We will take a decision to have a uniform 25-year limit and send it to the Centre,” he said.
He added that forest officials had been instructed not to trouble people living in forest areas and referred to the government's initiatives concerning Bagar Hukum cultivation and granting land to eligible cultivators.
Shivakumar said the government would not make announcements without first examining whether proposals could be implemented.
“We do not do politics on emotions. We are concerned about your lives,” he said, adding that demands for a zonal management plan and a taluk hospital at Hebri would be discussed with officials before a decision was taken.
Referring to the special Cabinet meeting held in Mangaluru, Shivakumar said 60 decisions had been taken, with 40 concerning the coastal districts. The Cabinet had also decided to recognise Tulu as the second additional official language in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts and approved a new tourism policy for the coastal and Malnad regions.
Shivakumar said the government also wanted to attract investment to the region and create more local employment opportunities.
Comments