An environmentalist claimed that awarding the World Heritage Site status to the Western Ghats by the Unesco would not hamper the State’s growth.
Speaking at a seminar on ‘Western Ghats-How much do we know’ on Monday, Praveen Bhargav said the Ghats comprised only one per cent of the total area in the State. Allaying fears, he said the heritage tag would neither cause displacement nor would funds allocated by the Unesco fill coffers of NGOs.
Instead of opposing the heritage tag, Praveen said there was a need for a scientific land use policy to achieve overall economic development and social justice.