One of the most trending news in Karnataka pertains to the K. Kasturirangan Committee Report following the publication of the seventh draft concerning the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) in the western ghats. It assumes significance in the wake of the stand of the State Government that has called upon the Centre to confine the ESA only to notified forests in the State. It has also sought a one year time to take up physical survey of the areas proposed under the ESAs. It has also asked
The draft notification issued by the Centre regarding the ESA in Karnataka should not be finalised till the next one year until the physical survey is completed. The final decision on the ESA should be taken only after the State government submits its report to the Centre only after a detailed discussion by the Centre and the State, a resolution tabled by the Chief Minister, D.K. Shiva Kumar stated, a few days ago. The Centre had issued a 7th draft notification on ESA based on the Kasturirangan Committee Report on July 27, 2026, that comprised a total area of 20,668 sq.km. spread over 1,449 villages across 10 districts in Karnataka. The State’s contention is for reducing the ESA considerably. The first six draft notifications were issued in the years 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2024 and all failed to get through.
The resolutions passed in both Houses say that agricultural, horticultural, plantation areas, human settlements and other areas of public activities should not be included in the ESA. The Opposition parties–the BJP and the JD (S)–have also endorsed the stand of the State Government stating the survey should be done scientifically on the Keralam State model. The Keralam government had constituted a three-member High Level working Group (HLWG) to study peoples’ concerns on August 17, 2012. This followed concerns raised by the people over ecologist Prof. Madhav Gadgil Committee report (Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel–WGEEP) that was submitted to the Centre inAugust 2011. Subsequently, The Kasturirangan Committee superseded Gadgil Committee and a report was submitted to the Centre on April 15,2013 that suggested demarcation of 40 per cent of the western ghat areas as ESA and conserving it. The Madhav Gadgil Committee Report had proposed to bring an area of 1,29,057 Sq. Km. under the ESA that was whittled down to 56,825 Sq. Km. by the Kasturirangan Committee. The report envisaged a total of 56,825 sq. kms. area of western ghats across six states Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu be marked as ESA.
Of this, Karnataka had the highest of 20,668 sq. km. area under the proposed ESA. As many as 54 villages come under the ESA proposal in Kodagu for it too, But the opponents of the Report in the district have taken up cudgels against the implementation of the Report. Prominent among those who have raised objections and put forth suggestions in Kodagu is the Siddapur-based Kodagu District Small Growers’ Association. The Association has also offered implementable and sensible suggestions to support the protection of the ecological, biological, hydrological and climate integrity of the western ghats. “Our objection is not against conservation. It is against a regulatory approach that does not sufficiently distinguish natural forests and irreplaceable ecological habitats from long-established agricultural and agro-forestry landscapes as they themselves retain substantial tree cover and perform important ecological functions”, said Cheranda Nanda Subbaiah, President of the Association.
He said, in a letter submitted to the Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, New Delhi, the Association urged the Ministry to keep the draft notification open for substantive reconsideration before finalisation, constitute a Karnataka-specific expert committee for physical, scientific and cadastral/survey number level verification of the proposed ESA besides establishing a Kodagu-specific Human-Wildlife Conflict Management Programme. He further stated that a durable ESA regime should therefore combine protection of natural forests and watersheds with promotion of agro-forestry, sustainable shade grown coffee, tree retention, scientific wildlife management, responsible infrastructure development and meaningful local participation. The Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre (KSREC) maintains a dedicated cadastral level Western Ghats ESA Mapping System. This system has demarcated agricultural areas, orchards, horticultural areas, plantations and residential areas distinguished from cadastral maps, Mr. Subbaiah said. The High Level Working Group had relied upon the 2001 Census data, though the 2011 Census report was available. Therefore, the Association would request that population density-layered data be freshly prepared using the latest authoritative Census statistics rather than mechanically carrying forward the 2001 baseline.
The State Minister for Rural Development, Eshwar Khandre, who is also a former Minister for Forests, during a debate in the State Legislative Assembly, had pointed out that 80 per cent of the ESA notified by the Centre was already part of the Tiger Reserve/reserved/protected forests. As much as 16,000 Sq Km. (of the 20,668 Sq. km.) were part of them. He gave the example of the Keralam State, whose ESA had been reduced to 9,900 Sq. Km. from the originally proposed 13,000 Sq Km after that Government filed objections. The State government echoes the sentiment of the people that striking a balance between the livelihoods of people and the protection of the forests and environment was a must. The people also feel that no committee ever visited Karnataka and consulted them before finalising the ESA. Virajpet MLA, A.S. Ponnanna, who participated in the debate on the Kasturirangan Report, had questioned the Centre as to why it had not revised the draft notifications in spite of the State government objecting to it six times earlier.
There is also a view that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) could disregard the State Government’s recent resolution and proceed with the orders of implementation of the Report. Several MLAs representing the areas proposed under the ESA have expressed concern that livelihood of people could be badly affected in the event of the implementation of the Report. They have expressed fears that regulatory provisions in the ESA could come in the way of development such as construction of houses. Farmers, who retained trees, maintained shade in the plantations, conserved soil and land, protected water sources incurred huge private costs. The final ESA framework should therefore provide for eco-system service incentives, agro-forestry support, rewarded for watershed conservation, biodiversity stewardship, native tree planting and receive assistance for wildlife conflict mitigation. Some of the elected representatives have expressed the desire that both the Centre and the state governments must jointly file an affidavit before the NGT in this regard.
The Karnataka government, in a resolution passed a couple of days ago, had proposed to constitute a high level committee chaired by a retired judge to suggest measures to correct certain “anomalies” in the Kasturirangan Report by taking up appropriate modifications. Farmers, officials from the forest and revenue departments, industrial units and experts from the academia, who specialise in forest and ecology, would also be part of the high level committee. The Small Growers Association also wants the western ghats to be considered as a landscape containing both natural and cultural components and recognise the need to reconcile conservation and livelihoods.
The Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) revised methodology classifies sectors according to pollution potential, providing for Red, Orange, Green, White and Blue categories. Accordingly, the final ESA notification must refer dynamically to the latest applicable CPCB and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) classifications rather than reproducing an outda ted fixed list, Mr Subbaiah said. According to sources, a coalition of organisations has published a Kannada translation of the 7th draft notification since it was available only in Hindi and English languages initially. The demand for such a translation was justified since largest portion of the proposed ESA fell in the State of Karnataka. This factor is said to have helped in increasing the awareness among people on the impact of the Report.
What is essentially required here is that the State Government needs to allay the apprehensions of the people of Kodagu, as also elsewhere in the State, that their livelihoods would not be affected at any cost. Their age-old avocations relating to agriculture, plantations, homes, places of religious congregations, sacred groves which house temples and the likes are protected for posterity. They want the government, its elected representatives to convince them over the issue that no plan of the Centre would displace them. This is the responsibility of the Government as the majority of the ESA areas in Karnataka is higher than other five States. According to another source, the narrative is being popularised by certain vested interests, who are spreading misinformation to mobilise support from the local communities. It will be interesting to know the outcome especially in the wake of protagonists and antagonists, who have locked horns over the issue.
Jeevan Chinnappa Kottiyanda
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