Karnataka rejects Kasturirangan report in current form, seeks ground survey of Western Ghats

Bengaluru: Both Houses of the State Legislature on Tuesday adopted a unanimous resolution rejecting the Kasturirangan Committee report on the Western Ghats in its current shape, citing severe disruptions to local livelihoods, agriculture, and infrastructure in the region.

The ruling Congress and Opposition BJP were unanimous as the legislature passed the resolution at a special sitting convened to decide Karnataka's response ahead of Centre’s September 27 deadline.

The government has decided to take up a physical survey as Kerala did to be monitored by a retired judge. The government also plans to lead an all-party delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press the Centre to withhold final notifications until the physical survey is completed.


The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) issued a fresh draft notification proposing to earmark 20,668 sq km across 1,576 villages in 10 Karnataka districts as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs). The affected areas fall in the districts of Chamarajanagar, Kodagu, Mysuru, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, Udupi, and Belagavi.

Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, reading out the resolution in the assembly, said that while the Western Ghats constituted an extremely vital region for the state’s natural resources, biodiversity, and ecological balance, blanket conservation mandates could not come at the cost of local populations. Demarcating vast stretches via satellite mapping rather than physical boundary checks threatens human habitations and ongoing economic activity, he added.

The Legislative Council also adopted the resolution without dissent. Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Ramalinga Reddy announced that the state will constitute a committee headed by a retired judge to conduct a comprehensive ground-level physical survey. The panel will assess the report's real impact on local communities and complete its findings within a year.

While the 2013 high-level working group led by K. Kasturirangan exempted routine farming and plantations from outright bans, it recommended severe curbs on mining, red-category industries, thermal power units, and major construction projects.

In the Assembly, Opposition leader R Ashoka advocated adopting the Kerala model by using ground-level surveys to exclude populated and agricultural belts, while urging the state to build a robust legal panel to contest the draft at the Centre and in court.