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Karnataka Rejects Kasturirangan ESA Draft, Demands Fresh Ground Survey
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News18•23-09-2026, 00:06
Karnataka Rejects Kasturirangan ESA Draft, Demands Fresh Ground Survey
- •The Karnataka Legislative Assembly unanimously rejected the seventh draft notification on declaring parts of the Western Ghats as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA), citing concerns over the inclusion of agricultural land, plantations, houses, and public facilities.
- •The resolution, moved by Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, covers 20,668 sq km across 10 districts and 1,449 villages in Karnataka, causing "considerable dissatisfaction among the public" due to the inclusion of non-forest areas.
- •A key objection is the reliance on satellite data for demarcation, which the assembly argues is not based on village boundaries or survey-number-based demarcation, potentially creating difficulties for residents.
- •The assembly urged the Centre to restrict the ESA to notified forest areas, excluding agricultural land, plantation areas, residential areas, and public activity zones, and called for a physical, survey-number-wise identification.
- •Karnataka proposes forming a high-level committee, conducting physical measurements, and seeking one year from the Centre to complete the process before any final notification is issued for the state.
Key Questions Answered
The Karnataka Assembly unanimously rejected the seventh draft notification because it includes agricultural lands, plantations, houses, and public facilities within the Ecologically Sensitive Area, causing public dissatisfaction and affecting residents.
The resolution objects to the draft being based on satellite data rather than village boundaries or survey numbers, and criticizes the approach of declaring an entire village as an ESA simply because one-fifth falls under forest cover.
The state government plans to form a high-level committee headed by a retired judge to examine shortcomings, conduct physical survey-number-wise measurements, and seek one year from the Centre to finalize a report.
