Bengaluru: Karnataka legislature Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution rejecting the Centre’s seventh draft Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) notification. The resolution followed a discussion, held in both the assembly and council, on the Kasturirangan report on the Western Ghats.Moved by chief minister DK Shivakumar, the resolution seeks a one-year window from the Centre for a ground-level survey to separate forests from farms, plantations and human settlements before the notification is finalised.Shivakumar announced a committee headed by a retired judge, with revenue and forest officials, farmer associations, industrialists and ecology experts on the panel, to address the draft’s shortcomings.The resolution adopted by Karnataka objected to the inclusion of agricultural land, plantations, homes and public utility spaces alongside forested areas under ESA. It also flagged a lack of precise demarcation of land, calling it unscientific to declare an entire village as ESA merely because a fifth of it fell within forest limits.“Forests must be protected and people of the Western Ghats have done so for generations. They should not face hurdles or threats,” the CM said, adding that a delegation would soon travel to Delhi to press the region’s case.Claiming that the draft offered no economic assistance to or alternative livelihood for affected people, the resolution urged the Centre to exclude farmland, plantations, settlements and public-use spaces from ESA.Responding to a question from opposition leader R Ashok on the National Green Tribunal’s directives, Shivakumar said senior advocates would be appointed to present Karnataka’s stand before the Supreme Court on the Centre’s Kasturirangan report notification.The CM clarified that the state was not disrespecting the Kasturirangan committee’s recommendations, but wanted those scientifically revised in Karnataka’s interest, adding that since drone surveys tend to show the entire topography as green, a survey through the revenue department was needed.When MLAs cutting across party lines flagged unresolved issues, including Bagar Hukum, forest rights, deemed forests, land grants and pending court cases, Shivakumar assured those would be taken up separately.BOX:‘Beware, forest dept is watching’Chief minister DK Shivakumar cautioned against encroachment upon forest land and poaching of wild animals, saying improved surveillance had made evasion harder, with cameras now tracking both trespassers as well as animal movements.Urging people to surrender their hunting guns, he said the govt had given them enough time to comply with the norms. Any violation now will lead to police action. “Please surrender them [hunting weapons]. You do not need them. Let us see how many come forward,” he said.OPTIONAL BOX:What the Centre’s draft saysThe draft, issued on July 27, earmarks 20,668 sq km across 33 taluks and 1,449 villages in 10 Western Ghats districts under ESA category. The 10 districts are Belagavi, Chamarajanagar, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, Hassan, Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Mysuru, Shivamogga and Udupi.This is part of a larger plan covering 56,000 sq km across six states.States had 60 days to file objections to the draft proposal.Points for infogfx:ESA REJECTION MATRIX* K’taka seeks one-year survey window for ground-level survey* Demands exclusion of farmlands, plantations, and homes from ESA limits* Objects to marking entire villages as eco-sensitive based on partial forest cover* Flags draft as unscientific owing to zero economic aid for affected residents
