BENGALURU: A three-day special legislature session, convened exclusively to discuss the Dr K Kasturirangan Committee recommendations on the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) in the Western Ghats and the severe drought situation in the state, will begin on Monday.
The first day is expected to see a debate on the seventh draft notification issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on July 27, proposing ESA status based on the Kasturirangan report.
With all political parties broadly opposing the seventh draft notification, citing its impact on farmers and residents, the legislature is likely to adopt a unanimous resolution against it.
The Centre had given the state 60 days to submit its objections, with the deadline set for September 27, prompting the government to convene the legislative session.
As per the Union ministry’s draft notification, around 20,668 sqkm covering 1,576 villages in 33 taluks across 10 districts – Chamarajanagar, Kodagu, Mysuru, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, Udupi and Belagavi – has been proposed as ESA.
Ahead of the session, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar reached out to stakeholders, including farmers, in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Hassan. During one such interaction at Sakleshpur on Sunday, he said, “The government will decide after considering the views of local people and farmers.”
Shivakumar also sought to allay farmers’ concerns by directing forest officials not to evict those cultivating bagair hukum lands.
Farmers call for bandh in Sringeri
The outreach is seen as a significant attempt by the government to gauge the views of affected communities before taking a final stand. But farmers in Sringeri have called for a bandh on Monday opposing the implementation of the report.
On the remaining two days of the session, the focus will be on drought and agrarian issues that are likely to see sharp exchanges between the treasury and Opposition benches. MLAs cutting across party lines are expected to demand taluks under their constituencies be declared drought-hit as several parts of the state are facing a dry spell.
Water Resources Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy appealed to BJP and JDS legislators to cooperate in ensuring a meaningful session. The discussion should cover the impact of drought on farmers, rural communities and livestock, drinking water shortage, crop loss, relief and the Centre’s assistance to Karnataka, besides the Kasturirangan report, he added.
He said the government declared 124 taluks drought-hit after ground-level assessments and released Rs 1 crore to each of the 224 Assembly constituencies to tackle drinking water problems. Loan repayment moratoriums and extended repayment periods had also been announced for farmers in drought-hit areas, he added.
The special session follows the 10-day monsoon session that was largely disrupted over the Opposition’s demand for the resignation of then minister B Nagendra.