Karnataka rejects plan to declare western ghats eco-sensitive area
The Union environment ministry will be soon issuing a draft notification declaring the Western Ghats as eco-sensitive area (ESA) for a second time after a similar draft in 2014 expired due to a lack of consensus among states and the Centre. The affected states that also include Tamil Nadu, Goa, Maharashtra, Kerala and Gujarat will have 60 days time to respond to the draft. The first draft notification declared 56,825 sq km of the ghats in these states as ESA.
The states that objected to the earlier notification had claimed that it would affect economic development.
In a report published by a working group headed by Madhav Gadgil in 2010, it was recommended that 75% of Western Ghats be declared eco-sensitive as opposed to 37% recommended by a parallel recommendation report by a committee headed by scientist K Kasturirangan.
