BENGALURU: Bowing to public opposition, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has decided to restore the ‘conservation reserve’ tag for the Kappatagudda Forest Reserve.
Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, Siddaramaiah said he has signed the notification restoring the tag for the reserve. The Karnataka State Wildlife Board had previously taken a unanimous decision to restore the conservation tag to the reserve.
The order was notified by the Forest Department on Tuesday evening, conveying the message that the CM has not bowed to the mining lobby.
On November 4, 2016, the government decided to withdraw the tag which was accorded to Kappatagudda in 2015, leading to an agitation in Gadag district. Environmentalists considered it as an ecological disaster.