BENGALURU: The state cabinet on Friday strongly opposed a central government notification on declaring parts of Western Ghats as eco-sensitive zones based on the Kasturirangan report. The state is now planning to write to the Union government.After the cabinet meeting, Law Minister JC Madhu Swamy said the Centre had sought the opinion of the state. “We had said there is no compromise on the issue and it will be an injustice to the people of the region if the report is implemented. We have already stated our position twice and this is the third time that we are doing it through cabinet approval,” he said.
The state government cannot accept the report and shift people from eco-sensitive zones in the Western Ghats. “We will write to the Centre and after discussion, will also present a memorandum,” he said.In the coming days, a delegation from the state, headed by CM Basavaraj Bommai, will go to Delhi to convey the state’s decision. “We wanted to make our stand clear before that. Else, there is a chance of authorities from the Centre issuing a notification,” he added.
The state has been opposing implementation of the report since the beginning. Home Minister Araga Jnanendra had earlier said objections raised by the state were not considered and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued the fifth notification on July 6 that was similar to four other communiques issued earlier. If the report is implemented, it will adversely impact people in 1,553 villages. The report has been prepared without a proper survey, and over 1,000 objections raised by the state have not been considered, he added.