The State unit of the CPI(M) has termed ‘impracticable’ several of the recommendations put forward by the Madhav Gadgil Committee to protect the Western Ghats.
In a statement here on Sunday, the CPI(M) State secretariat said that if the report was implemented in its entirety, it would have serious consequences in the State. As far as the people of Kerala were concerned, survival of the Western Ghats was crucial to the protection of the water sources and other means of livelihood. Protection of the Western Ghats was imperative for protecting Kerala’s ecology. The Gadgil panel had put forward several important recommendations in this regard and these deserved to be discussed widely. However, several of the proposals put forward by it were capable of creating serious problems in a densely populat ed State like Kerala, it said.
The CPI(M) secretariat was of the view that such recommendations should not be implemented under any circumstance as it would make life difficult for the people living in Idukki and Wayanad districts.
It would render impossible farming and construction activities in the two districts. The committee had divided the taluks linked to the Western Ghats into three zones and specified which all activities could be taken up in each zone. The unscientific manner in which the zones had been demarcated was capable of triggering serious consequences.
The State was dependent on hydel resources to meet its power requirements. If the report were to be implemented, it would not only make construction of new dams impossible, but also lead to demolition of the existing dams. This would result in a crisis in the power sector.
The proposals for restructuring the farm sector would similarly affect the entire economy adversely. The proposal that long-term crops should not be cultivated on slopes would render rubber farming impossible. If estates were to be closed, it would affect both the working people and farmers.
The recommendation that there should be no use of pesticides would also spell doom in the farm sector. The proposed curbs on construction of road and other infrastructure could also prove costly.
Instead of trying to implement the Gadgil committee’s recommendations, the government should try to devise schemes and projects that gel with the social and demographic specificities of Kerala and implement laws to protect the Western Ghats stringently. The government should also seek popular participation when formulating practicable and scientific schemes, the CPI(M) secretariat said.
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