Except for notified forest, not a foot extra should be added to ESA, demands Shivamogga MP B.Y. Raghavendra
Mr. Raghavendra has urged the government of Karnataka to order a physical survey of the ESA area and reduce it following the Kerala model
Shivamogga MP B.Y. Raghavendra has demanded that the State Government not add any extra land to the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) notification beyond the already notified forest area. At a press conference on August 29, Raghavendra advised conducting a survey of the notified area and reducing its extent, following the Kerala model.
The Kerala government reduced its ESA area by over 3,000 sq. km. after a physical survey, while Karnataka's ESA is currently 20,000 sq. km. Raghavendra emphasized that villages around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries should not be affected. He pointed out that committees for the ESA notification were formed during the UPA government's tenure at the Centre and criticized the Union government, stating that if they were anti-farmer, they would have cleared the notification in the first or second draft. The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has issued the draft for the seventh time.
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