Bengaluru: Chittapur in Kalaburagi district is known for its searing summers, with mercury levels often between 43º C and 45º C, making it one of the hottest taluks in the state. In striking contrast to this harsh, sun-baked landscape, nearly 3,000 acres of land at Allur B village in the taluk will now be notified as Karnataka’s 16th wildlife conservation reserve.The State Board for Wildlife (SBWL), which met Thursday, reviewed a proposal from the district administration to declare 2,877 acres of village land as a protected reserve, and the chief minister-headed SBWL unanimously resolved to notify the proposed extent as the latest conservation reserve in the state.The local gram panchayat secured the consent of villagers for the conservation reserve during a special gram sabha held a few months ago, as mandated under Section 36(A) of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. It then forwarded the proposal to SBWL through the district administration. Officials who briefed the board said, “The landscape features undulating terrain dotted by small and medium-sized hillocks with verdant landscape. Researchers have documented the presence of leopard, wild boar, chital, muntjac deer, wildcats, pangolin and jackals in the region.”Acknowledging the floral and faunal diversity, the SBWL meeting on Thursday, chaired by forest minister Eshwar Khandre, unanimously approved the proposal. The last conservation reserve declared by SBWL was the Greater Hesaraghatta Conservation Reserve (GHCR).BOXIIM-B’s new campus within Bannerghatta ESZAmid controversy over a proposed Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) on outskirts of Bengaluru, SBWL has given its nod for the first phase of work for a new campus of Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru (IIM-B), within the proposed ESZ area. The premier business school has planned a new campus on 110 acres near Jigani. With a project outlay of Rs 450 crore, the phase-1 work of the UG campus required clearances from SBWL as it overlaps with the proposed ESZ. Recently, the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC), which inspected the region, came down heavily on the state govt for failing to regulate urbanisation and recommended to the apex court that the original 100 sq km ESZ notified in 2016 be restored. Even as the matter remains pending before the Supreme Court, SBWL has cleared the first phase of work on IIM-B’s new campus. MSID:: 130310668 413 |
