Ecologist slams Environ Min for accepting Kasturirangan report

Says report was prepared on the basis of web-based consultation ignoring concerns of local people

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An eminent ecologist today termed as "most regrettable" the Environment Ministry's decision to accept the Kasturirangan panel report on the Western Ghats, which according to him was prepared on the basis of "web-based consultation" ignoring concerns of local people.

Hitting out at the Environment Ministry headed by Jayanthi Natarajan for ignoring a detailed report prepared by him, Madhav Gadgil said the "narrow focus" of the Kasturirangan Committee on forested areas under government control is "totally inadequate and inappropriate".

The 10-member high-level working group (HLWG), headed by K Kasturirangan, was constituted to examine the detailed Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) report prepared under Gadgil's leadership.

The ecologist's comments came days after the Environment Ministry gave its in-principle approval to the Kasturirangan panel report which has recommended prohibition on development activities only in 60,000 sq km of ecologically sensitive areas spread over Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

This constitutes only 37 per cent of the hill ranges extending along the west coast from river Tapti in the north to the southern tip of the country.

"All in all, the decision of the ministry is a most regrettable one, violating science, democracy and environmental concerns and it is to be hoped that the enlightened people of the Western Ghats tract will ensure that their will prevails, and that the bountiful nature as well as the health and livelihoods of the residents of this global hotspot of biodiversity will be protected," Gadgil said.

The Kasturirangan panel had made different recommendations than the Gadgil committee report, which was considered by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee while deciding to include 39 serial sites of the Western Ghats on the World Heritage List.

Gadgil said the panel headed by him had recommended a democratic process of taking its recommendations to all the Gram Sabhas in the region in their languages and basing the final decision on their feedback.

"This has been set aside and a decision has been imposed on the basis of a limited web-based consultation in English language which is totally inaccessible to the real stakeholders, the people at the grass-roots," he said.

The Ministry has said it would take "relevant steps" to initiate the operationalisation the recommendations of the Kasturirangan panel.

A High Level Committee of the Ministry will be set up to monitor the implementation of the recommendations of the HLWG in a time-bound manner, the Ministry has said.