Centre Issues 7th Draft NotificationFor ECO Sensitive Areas (ESAs)
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has accelerated the process of implementing the recommendations of the Dr. K. Kasturirangan Committee, which have remained pending for several decades regarding the conservation of the Western Ghats. Several villages in the Western Ghats spanning the districts of Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, Hassan, Uttara Kannada, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada in Karnataka have been proposed for inclusion within the environmentally sensitive zone. The official district-, taluk- and village-wise list has been published in Annexure ‘C’ of the notification.
Villages Proposed for Inclusion
The notification proposes to include the following number of villages in Karnataka Area of Western Ghats within the Eco-Sensitive Area:
- Uttara Kannada district – 556 villages
- Shivamogga district – 446 villages
- Chikkamagaluru district – 137 villages
- Kodagu district – 53 villages
- Dakshina Kannada district – 43 villages
- Udupi district – 34 villages
