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Karnataka Assembly Rejects Kasturirangan Report on Western Ghats Conservation
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News18•22-09-2026, 17:00
Karnataka Assembly Rejects Kasturirangan Report on Western Ghats Conservation
- •The Karnataka Assembly passed a resolution rejecting the K Kasturirangan report on Western Ghats conservation in its current form.
- •The resolution urged the Centre to rectify "deficiencies" in the report, which identifies approximately 20,668 square kilometres across 1,449 villages in 10 districts of Karnataka as an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA).
- •Chief Minister D K Shivakumar highlighted the Western Ghats' importance to Karnataka's natural resources, biodiversity, and ecological balance.
- •The report's inclusion of forest areas, agricultural lands, plantations, and houses within ESA boundaries, determined by satellite data without physical surveys, has caused discontent.
- •Concerns include pending issues like Bagair Hukum forest rights and the declaration of entire villages as ecologically sensitive areas based on partial forest coverage.
Key Questions Answered
The Karnataka Assembly rejected the Kasturirangan report in its present form because its boundaries were determined using satellite data without a joint physical survey. This classification included local agricultural lands, plantations, and houses, causing widespread discontent among residents.
The Government of India issued the seventh draft Environmentally Sensitive Area notification based on the Kasturirangan report on July 27, 2026.
The notification identified approximately 20,668 square kilometres covering 1,449 villages across 10 districts in Karnataka as an Ecologically Sensitive Area.
