Panel has not done ground study of the State before submitting the report
Report includes over 99 villages in three talukas within ESZ
To seek fresh scientific study of Western Ghats
TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Goa government’s first and most urgent demand, to be placed before the soon to be sworn-in Narendra Modi government would be scrapping of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) notification based on K Kasturirangan panel report on Western Ghats, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told reporters, Friday.
This report has included over 99 villages in three talukas of the State within the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ), where no development can take place.
Parrikar, who had recently written a letter to the outgoing ministry had refused to accept the report, and said he would ask the new Minister under the NDA dispensation, to conduct a fresh scientific study of Western Ghat.
“We are opposing it not because we are against the basic concept, but we are against the methodology which was used to cover parts of western Ghat as eco-sensitive areas,” Parrikar told media persons adding that the state government will take up the notification issue on priority when Modi-led government takes office.
The Chief Minister alleged that the Kasturirangan committee has not done any ground study of the State before submitting the report, which has brought a major portion of the State within an ecologically fragile area.
“You cannot put major portion of the State within an ecologically fragile area. Will they give me money or a central environment committee to run the State? Drop that notification and go for fresh a technical/scientific study. Don’t scrap the report but take it for purpose of further study,” he said.
The K Kasturirangan panel, formed to advise the Union government on the recommendations made by the Western Ghat Ecology Expert panel led by Prof Madhav Gadgil, had recommended that 37 per cent of the biodiversity-rich Western Ghats –about 60,000 sq km of the total 1,64,000 sq km, be notified as ESZ.
Based on the report, MoEF had banned allocation of any fresh mining leases or expansion of existing ones in the iron-ore rich belt of Sanguem and Sattari talukas of Goa.
The Ministry had also curtailed industrial development in the backward talukas of Canacona, Sanguem and Sattari, noting that they are highly eco-sensitive zones (ESZ) or regions within the Western Ghat.
MoEF had also banned creation of townships and development of industrial projects admeasuring area of 50 hectares and above in all three talukas.
The new building and construction projects of 20,000 square metres or built-up area of 1,50,00 square metres and above are also banned in these talukas. However, only agriculture and plantation activities have been allowed in the ESA.
