Don't worry over world heritage tag: Minister

State to submit report to Centre to drop proposal

Speaking at the KDP meeting here on Friday, he said of the 39 spots in Western Ghat, the proposal of world heritage site to Pushpagiri, Brahmagiri and Talacauvery sancturies should be dropped. The people of the region need not worry over the proposal, he added.

Zilla Panchayat Standing Committee on Education and Health President Manu Muthappa said “it was few pseudo environmentalists who had urged the Centre to submit a proposal to UNESCO to include three spots in world heritage site.”

He said “UNESCO officials had held secret meeting with the then Deputy Commissioner M K Baladevakrishna. No elected representatives were informed of the meeting. The elected representatives were not informed even when UNESCO officials visited the district a month ago.

Hence, we had to gherao the representatives from UNESCO.”
The Minister said that the State government has decided to drop Greater Talacauvery project. A notification in this regard will be issued within 15 to 20 days.

MLC M C Nanaiah said “there is no need to include Kodagu on world heritage site. Once world heritage site is declared, then no non-forest activities can be undertaken within 10 km radius of the site.”

Action plan

The Minister directed forest department officials to prepare an action plan to check elephant menace in the next three years, within a month. The action plan should include solar fence, preventing wall and trenches. The action plan should include funds required for solar fence, constructing trenches and walls. The government is ready to release funds for preventive measures to check wild elephant menace.

MLA M P Appachu Ranjan said that solar fences installed by the forest department has become useless.

Hence, private persons should be given the contract to maintain it. M C Nanaiah said that 50 per cent financial assistance should be given for installing solar fence in association with the public.

The Minister directed Tourism department Assistant Director Jayaram to prepare a proposal for the promotion of tourism in the district.