Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Sringeri D.N. Jeevaraj has urged the Karnataka government to follow the model of Kerala which managed to keep out prominent villages from the ecologically sensitive zone of Western Ghats by submitting a report to the Centre after a detailed study that involved holding grama sabhas to present a clear picture on the natural and cultural landscape.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Mr. Jeevaraj demanded that Karnataka should file its response to the fourth draft notification issued by the Centre on declaring 20,668 sq. km of area in Karnataka’s Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive zone after holding such grama sabhas and conducting a physical survey.
He alleged that instead of trying to provide a grassroot picture through grama sabhas, the Karnataka government had merely confined itself to satellite survey while responding to earlier draft notifications on declaration of ecologically sensitive zone as per the Kasturirangan report.
He urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to lead an all-party delegation to Delhi to meet the Prime Minister and the Union Environment Minister to convince them about the need to keep away the villages from the ecologically sensitive zone so that people residing there for centuries together were not affected.
Mr. Jeevaraj said the BJP would not only raise the issue during the forthcoming budget session of the State legislature, but would also launch a campaign.
