Madikeri: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said the Karnataka government has decided to reject the Kasturirangan report on the Western Ghats and said the final decision will be taken after discussions with Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre.
The committee on the Western Ghats headed by former ISRO chairman K Kasturirangan has proposed that 37 per cent of the total area of the Western Ghats be declared Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). The 37 per cent area comes to roughly 60,000 square kilometres. Out of the 60,000 sq km, about 21,000 sq km is in Karnataka.
The report recommends a blanket ban on mining, quarrying, setting up of red category industries and thermal power projects.
Talking to reporters after inspecting the landslide and flood-affected areas here in Madikeri, the district headquarters town of Kodagu district, Siddaramaiah, said, “It has been decided to reject the Kasturi Rangan report. A decision will be made after further discussions with the forest minister.”
The chief minister said he visited several landslide hit regions of the district.
According to him, landslides have occurred in 20 places, while small-scale landslides have hit many other locations. Fortunately, there have been no casualties, though many people are injured.
Siddaramaiah said 67 houses have been completely destroyed, and 176 houses have been partially damaged. There have also been incidents of complete and partial damage of property in the last 24 hours.
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