Kasturirangan report Janadhani questions the government's intent

Chikkamgaluru: The Janadhani summit has raised questions to the government about its intent on implementing Kasturirangan in the western ghats. The one-day summit on Sunday in which over 40 different organisations and associations participated raised serious concerns about the impact of life on tribal people if the Kasturirangan report was implemented in the western ghats.

Giving the presidential address Dr Kalkuli Vittal Hegde environmentalist who spearheaded the movement against the eviction of the tribal population out of the Kudremukh National Park and other national parks in the state, alleged that the government was trying to please some Non-Governmental Organisations(NGOs) to implement the Kasturirangan committee recommendations, but was forgetting the welfare of its people living in the forests.

The report itself was anti-poor people as they will be driven out of the national park from their hutments, and micro villages and sent away into the cities and towns by rehabilitating them elsewhere. “The previous government had expressed dismay about implementing the report but I really do not know why the forest minister Mr Khandre was bent on implementing it” Dr Hegde resented that just on Saturday Mr Khandre had given a statement that the Kasturirangan report would be implemented which goes against the poor people and tribals living in Malnad areas.

Dr Hegde said many forest areas in the Western Ghats part of Karnataka will be declared as reserve forests under the recommendations of the Kasturirangan report which will evict the tribal people from their habitats.

Many other issues like the development of Tiger habitat in the Western ghats under the garb of Tiger conservation had also put the tribals in a fearful situation.

The organisations had given a charter of demands to the MLA of Sringeri Mr TD Rajegowda who has assured them to meet some of the demands and will seek clarifications on the implementation of the Kasturirangan report from the government.

Other main demands that were made in the charter included provision of house sites for the poor people, they must also be given rights under the 94 C notification, and every village must be given motorable roads, power connectivity, health centres, schools and burial and crematoriums.