Kasturirangan Report: Decision on Physical Survey After Discussions with Officials, Says CM
Hebri: Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said a decision on conducting a physical survey in connection with the Kasturirangan Report would be taken after discussions with government officials.
“Various organisations and elected representatives from this region have suggested conducting a physical survey in connection with the Kasturirangan Report. A decision in this regard will be taken after discussing the matter with officials,” Shivakumar said.
He was speaking at an interaction meeting with residents and representatives of various organisations in Hebri, Udupi district, on Friday. The meeting focused on the perceived advantages and disadvantages of implementing the Kasturirangan Report and the concerns of residents of the region.
Decision to be Communicated to Centre
Shivakumar said the government has to communicate its decision on the issue to the Centre by September 27.
“You have explained the Kasturirangan Report and the issue of eco-sensitive zones and brought the problems you are facing to my attention. We have to send our decision to the Centre by the 27th. We have come here because your opinion should become our opinion,” he said.
He said representatives had proposed adopting the Kerala model and had placed the suggestion before the expert committee. “We have accepted your suggestions and will discuss these issues during the Assembly session,” he said.
The Chief Minister said a three-day special Assembly session had been convened to discuss issues concerning farmers, drought and the Kasturirangan Report. The report would be taken up for discussion on the first day of the session, Monday, he said.
He added that he would also visit the Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru regions to hear the views of residents there.
Forest Rights
On forest rights, Shivakumar said the Forest Rights Act provides different eligibility periods in certain cases, including 25 and 75 years.
“A decision will be taken in the coming days to set a uniform limit of 25 years for everyone, and the same will be sent to the Central Government,” he said.
He said he had instructed Forest Department officials not to cause inconvenience to people living in forest areas. He also pointed to the government’s distribution of land under Bagair Hukum cultivation to eligible cultivators.
“We will not do politics based on emotions. We are concerned about your lives,” Shivakumar said.
He said elected representatives from the region had also sought a zone management plan and a taluk hospital for Hebri. These demands would be discussed with officials before a decision was taken, he added.
“I will do my best to serve you whenever I get the opportunity. I will also visit Udupi in the coming days and discuss various issues with the elected representatives,” he said.
“People of Tulu Nadu Are an Asset to the Nation”
Shivakumar described the people of Tulu Nadu as an asset to the nation and said he would return to the region to seek their suggestions.
“We discussed the issues with MLAs and elected representatives from all parties in this region and held a special Cabinet meeting in
Mangaluru. Sixty decisions were taken at this Cabinet meeting, of which 40 are related to the coastal districts,” he said.
Referring to the Cabinet’s decision on Tulu, he said the government had decided to recognise the language as the second official language in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.
He said the government had also given priority to tourism in the coastal and Malnad regions and formulated policies and approved projects aimed at promoting development and attracting investment.
“This is a historic land. The people of this region are educated and aware. Five or six banks that originated in this region grew into institutions that became models for the country. Tulu Nadu also produces a large number of doctors,” he said.
“I thank you for placing your trust in me. God does not give boons or curses; He only gives opportunities. We must make use of the opportunities we receive. Therefore, I have come to serve the people with the opportunity that I have been given,” he added.
Representatives Raise Kasturirangan Concerns
Representatives of various organisations and elected representatives spoke at the interaction. They included senior advocate T.B. Shetty, State President of the Malekudiya community Sridhar Gowda, Udupi Farmers’ Association representative Uday Kumar Vandse, former Gram Panchayat president Naveen Adyanthaya, former Nadpal Gram Panchayat president Dinesh Hegde, industrialist Muniyalu Uday Kumar Shetty, MP Kota Srinivas Poojary and MLA Sunil Kumar.
The representatives urged the government to address the concerns of residents affected by the Kasturirangan Report and pressed for an expert committee and a physical survey.
According to the representatives, the Kasturirangan Report covers around 13,000 sq km in Kerala and approximately 20,000 sq km in Karnataka.
They pointed out that Kerala had conducted a physical survey through a high-level committee of officials to distinguish inhabited areas from forest areas and establish clear boundaries. They claimed that the exercise reduced the area covered under the report to around 9,000 sq km and excluded approximately 3,200 sq km.
They said a similar physical survey in Karnataka could potentially exclude around 5,000 sq km from the scope of the report.
The representatives said millions of people had lived in the affected areas for generations and noted that the Kasturirangan Committee had conducted a GPS-based satellite survey without a physical verification exercise. They therefore welcomed a physical survey by the state government.
They also raised concerns about the criteria used to identify eco-sensitive areas, claiming that some inhabited areas had been included despite having larger populations and that areas with lower protected forest cover had also come within the scope of the report.
The representatives expressed concern that implementation of the report could affect the livelihoods and residences of people living in the region.
“We are forest dwellers, and forest conservation is possible because of our contribution. Therefore, forest conservation laws should not cause hardship to us,” they said.
They urged the government to constitute an expert committee and conduct a physical survey. They suggested that the findings could subsequently be placed before the Central Government, Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal for consideration.
