Environmentalist Kalkuli Vittala Hegde said that awareness programmes will be organised in districts coming under Western Ghats against the implementation of recommendations of Kasturirangan report.
Speaking at a seminar on ‘Malenadu Santhruptiya Nadalla-Athankagala beedu’ organised by Malenadu Ulisi Vedike on Saturday, he said, “The Centre is likely to implement the recommendations of the Kasturirangan report by February 2019. The recommendations should be opposed strongly. There is a need to question it in the Supreme Court.”
“If the recommendations are implemented, then local residents will be denied basic facilities. If implemented, a poor man will have to avail permission from the Western Ghats Authority to construct a house,” he warned.
The recommendations restrict the use of kerosene, electricity and fertilisers in the ecologically sensitive areas identified in the Kasturirangan report. Without the use of Bordeaux mixture, the farmers cannot save arecanut and coffee crops,” he said.
Further, he said that Madhav Gadgil had announced 60% of the area in Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive. While, Kasturirangan in his report has termed 37% of the area as ecologically sensitive. Accordingly, 27 villages in Chikkamagaluru and Mudigere, 35 villages in N R Pura, 32 villages in Koppa and 26 villages in Sringeri comes under ecologically sensitive areas in Chikkamagaluru district.