CH NEWS, BENGALURU
Reassuring anxious agricultural communities across the Western Ghats, Karnataka Minister Madhu Bangarappa has firmly declared that local farmers have nothing to panic about regarding the controversial Kasturi Rangan Committee report.
The central government recently issued its seventh draft notification aimed at ecological conservation within the Western Ghats. This latest proposal identifies an expansive area covering 20,668 square kilometers across 1,576 villages in Karnataka as environmentally sensitive zones, including 484 villages in the Shivamogga district alone. Because these marked boundaries encompass active farmlands and residential settlements, widespread anxiety and fear of displacement gripped farming families living throughout the Malnad hill regions.
Addressing these deep-rooted concerns, Minister Bangarappa clarified that the state government has already formally rejected the Kasturi Rangan report and communicated this stance directly to the Centre. Emphasizing the administration’s firm position, he assured the public that the state will under no circumstances permit the report’s recommendations to be implemented, vowing that authorities will oppose the draft notification tooth and nail to protect agrarian interests.
The minister revealed that he personally discussed the brewing crisis with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, both of whom agreed to stand resolutely behind the farming community. Bangarappa heavily criticized opposition leaders, accusing them of spreading unnecessary confusion among hill residents instead of uniting to condemn the central directive. He expressed deep disappointment that opposition parties chose to disrupt legislative assembly proceedings with political ruckus rather than engage in constructive debate on such a vital livelihood issue.
Invoking his family’s political legacy, Bangarappa pledged that he remains deeply committed to fighting for rural citizens, just as his father S. Bangarappa did. He assured residents that no injustice will ever be permitted against farmers, and the administration will continue safeguarding their lands and futures.