Steps will be taken to dispel fears over heritage tag for WG

To a question on Kerala and Karnataka governments reportedly expressing fear that it would affect development work, he said their points of differences would be looked into and the needful would be done.

Antony said objections raised by the states would be brought to the notices of departments and agencies concerned with a view to paving the way for dispelling them and all efforts would be made to retain the Western Ghats in the World Heritage List by UNESCO.

The minister was talking to reporters here on the sidelines of the 94th birthday celebrations of veteran freedom fighter and former state chief minister late K Karunakaran.

The World Heritage Committee at its meeting held on July 1 at St. Petersberg (Russia) decided to inscribe 39 serial sites of the Western Ghats on the World Heritage List.

Out of the 39 sites, there are 19 sites from Kerala, 10 from Karnataka, six from Tamil Nadu and four from Maharashtra, spread across nearly 80,000 sq km.

Karnataka has reportedly demanded that its 10 sites be withdrawn from the list submitted to UNESCO.

The sites listed from Kerala included the national parks like the Silent Valley and Eravikulam and five wildlife sanctuaries and two reserve forests and Athirapilly water falls where Kerala government was keen to have a hydroelectric project.

Kerala has already termed as "impractical to implement" the suggestions made by an expert panel on Western Ghats and has sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention in the matter.