Sagar farmers stage protest opposing ESA draft notification

On Saturday, approximately 200 farmers and elected officials marched from Karanagiri to Hosanagara, a distance of around nine kilometers, to voice opposition to the seventh draft notification designating more than 20,668 square kilometers near the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). The procession, organized under the Western Ghats Raitha Sahakari Vedike, saw participants brandishing banners and shouting slogans against the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's decision.

The Kasturirangan Committee's report, which underpins the notification, faced significant criticism. Prominent speakers at the event included Shivamogga MP B.Y. Raghavendra, former Minister Araga Jnanendra, Sagar MLA Belur Gopal Krishna, and M.R. Manjunath Gowda, president of the Western Ghats Raitha Sahakari Okkuta. All in attendance pledged to remain united on this issue, putting aside political disagreements.

The leaders called for a comprehensive physical survey of the land, maintaining that human habitats and agricultural areas should not be included in the ESA. Gowda pointed out that Kerala had managed to shrink its ESA footprint through a similar physical survey, suggesting Karnataka should adopt a comparable approach. The organization has planned to conduct similar protest marches in Sagar, Tirthahalli, Shikaripur, and other locations within the district to heighten awareness and push for government action.