BENGALURU: After the devastating landslides near Shirur in Uttara Kannada district and Wayanad in Kerala, the Karnataka government has decided to relook at the Kasturirangan report on Western Ghats. The government rejected the report in 2015. The government, however, ruled out its complete implementation.
Karnataka Forest, Environment, and Ecology Minister Eshwar B Khandre said, “We must learn lessons from Wayanad and Shirur. To ensure that such incidents do not reoccur, the government will relook at the implementation of the Kasturirangan report. The Cabinet will take a decision if a re-survey for implementing the report is needed, as the last report submitted by the Sanjay Kumar Committee was in 2012, and in 2015 it was rejected after a cabinet decision.” Khandre was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the announcement of the international conference on human- elephant conflict management 2024 to be held in the city on August 12.
The Madhav Gadgil and the Kasturirangan reports are before the government, and they will be looked into, he said.
On the implementation of the eco-sensitive zones, recently announced by the Union Government, Khandre said that he alone cannot take a stand and it is for the cabinet to decide. “It is my personal opinion that those who have occupied less than 3 acres of forest land should not be disturbed. However, the final decision rests with the CM and the cabinet,” he said, adding that Kerala had decided to implement the recommendations of the Kasturirangan report, yet landslides happened. He also said that 25% of forest areas are untouched, and citizens have a problem with the remaining 75% of forest area, most of which is being used by people, directly or indirectly. Also, 20,668 sq km of forest land is declared an eco-sensitive zone, and 1,533 village forest committees are well aware of the Kasturirangan report.
Khandre also said that from 2012 till now, encroachments have increased, and the number of cases before the courts has also increased. As per initial reports, close to 2 lakh acres of forest are encroached.
He said notices are being issued to encroachers, but they are approaching courts. Over 1 lakh appeals have been made before various courts against the forest department for encroachment clearance, he said, adding that 95% of them have been rejected and notices have been given. Over 7,000 acres of land have to be recovered and over Rs 1,000 crore penalty yet to be obtained. Court hearings are also on, he said.