MANGALURU
Legislative Council member Ivan D’Souza has urged the Karnataka government not to take any action to implement the Kasturirangan report until a special session of the state legislature discusses its advantages and disadvantages and takes a final decision.
Addressing reporters in Mangaluru on Saturday, D’Souza alleged that the report was prepared without consulting local gram panchayats, elected representatives or residents. He said the survey was largely based on aerial observations from helicopters and aircraft and therefore did not reflect the ground reality. He claimed that green areas had been broadly classified as forests.
D’Souza said rubber and arecanut plantations, schools, hospitals and residential areas fall within the proposed eco-sensitive zones. According to him, 1,533 villages across 33 taluks in 10 Karnataka districts, covering around 20,668 square kilometres, come under the report’s scope. He claimed that nearly 60 per cent of the area identified is not actually eco-sensitive.
D’Souza also urged BJP MPs and Union ministers from Karnataka to stop taking contradictory positions and instead put pressure on the Centre to address concerns raised by people in the Western Ghats and coastal regions.
He said a special Cabinet meeting would soon be held in Mangaluru to discuss major coastal issues, including Kasturirangan report-related concerns, Coastal Regulation Zone issues, infrastructure development and employment generation.
D’Souza also renewed the demand for a High Court bench in Mangaluru, saying it would provide faster and cheaper justice to people from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and neighbouring districts. He welcomed the reported move to bring Mangaluru railway areas under the South Western Railway’s Mysuru division, saying it could improve rail services and development in the region.
