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The Hindu
25-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Kasturirangan had a distinct connect with Malnad region
Shivamogga K. Kasturirangan, the space scientist who passed away on Friday, had a distinct connection with the people of the Malnad region, located in the foothills of the Western Ghats. As the head of the Central government-appointed High-Level Working Group, Dr. Kasturirangan submitted a report on the Western Ghats in April 2013. He and other members of the group had visited parts of the area before submitting the report. Since the group submitted its report, the scientist's name has been part of everyday discussions in the villages of the region. The report's recommendations have led to many protests and discussions among the people, who are worried about its implications. However, a section of environmentalists fighting for the conservation of the Western Ghats find the implementation of his report essential for safeguarding the biodiversity hotspot. What report said Dr. Kasturirangan's report proposed that 37% of the Western Ghats should be identified as an ecologically sensitive area (ESA). In Karnataka, it would include 20,668 sq. km, spanning over 1,576 villages spread over 10 districts. The local people were worried over the implications of notifying the ESA. Elected representatives, irrespective of their political affiliation, have opposed the recommendations. The MoEF and Climate Change issued six draft notifications following the recommendations. The draft notification prohibits mining, quarrying, and sand extraction in the ESA. It promotes organic farming in the area and prohibits construction projects measuring 20,000 sq. m and above. However, the State government has rejected all the six notifications. Srinivas, a noted face fighting for the rehabilitation of the people displaced by the Sharavati project, said he respected Dr. Kasturirangan for his contributions to the nation as a space scientist. 'However, his role as the head of the committee on the Western Ghats was not acceptable,' he said. Mr. Srinivas said the report took a view against forest dwellers who had contributed to the conservation of the forests over several generations. However, his recommendations suggested that they had a role in the global warming, he opined. On the other hand, not all environmentalists supported his report completely. They felt that his report, in a way, 'diluted' the original recommendations of professor Madhav Gadgil, under whose leadership the MoEF had constituted the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel. 'Could have saved ghats' Akhilesh Chipli, an environmentalist based in Sagar, said he had been opposing the Kasturirangan report. 'The Central government constituted the High-Level Working Group only to dilute the Gadgil report. But now the governments are not ready to implement even his recommendations. At times, I felt that if the Kasturirangan report was implemented effectively, the Western Ghats could be protected, if not the Gadgil report,' he said.
The Hindu
25-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Kasturirangan's legacy endures through contentious report that continues to shape environmental conservation debate
The death of K. Kasturirangan, former chairman of the High-Level Working Group (HLWG) on the Western Ghats, has rekindled memories of the panel's report that shaped conservation policy in the region. Released in 2013, the Kasturirangan report remains one of the most contested documents in Kerala's environmental history, continuing to stir discussions about balancing ecological protection with the rights of local communities. The Kasturirangan report was commissioned by the Central government, following the uproar caused by the 2011 report by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) led by environmentalist Madhav Gadgil, which recommended that the entire Western Ghats be declared an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). The Gadgil committee's stringent recommendations sparked fierce opposition, particularly in Kerala's Western Ghats, where local farmers and residents feared displacement and the loss of their livelihoods. Oommen V. Oommen, eminent ecologist and former Kerala State Biodiversity Board chairperson, who chaired a three-member expert panel set up by the Kerala government to study the impacts of the HLWG report, recalls a tense moment when he was asked to present the Gadgil committee's recommendations to a crowd of local populace in Idukki at the insistence of the then MP P.T. Thomas. 'The meeting turned chaotic. People were deeply concerned, fearing that they will be forced to leave their ancestral lands under the recommendations. The police had to intervene to escort us from the meeting,' Prof. Oommen says. The HLWG, on the other hand, proposed dividing the Ghats into two: 37% of the area would be classified as a 'natural landscape' subject to ESA protection, while the remaining areas would be designated as a 'cultural landscape' to ensure local communities could continue their way of life. Dr. Oommen, who had presented a detailed analysis of the Gadgil report to Kasturirangan, said the HLWG chairperson's approach was much more inclusive. 'He realised that the Western Ghats were not just a wilderness, but also a cultural landscape with deep ties to the people who lived there for generations.' While this recognition of the human element in conservation was expected to become more palatable to the local communities, the Kasturirangan report too was also met with fierce opposition. Protests erupted across the Western Ghats, particularly in the 123 villages recommended for ESA designation, where the people feared that even the modified recommendations would threaten their livelihoods. Environmentalists such as C.R. Neelakandan criticised the HLWG for what he saw as an undemocratic process. 'While Kasturirangan was a respected space scientist, the committee's recommendations lacked grassroots level consultation,' Mr. Neelakandan said. He argued that the report had excluded several ecologically fragile areas, while including others with less ecological value. 'This was due to political pressure rather than scientific rationale,' he claimed. As Kerala continues to grapple with the complex issue of Western Ghats conservation, the Kasturirangan report stands as both a landmark attempt at compromise and a symbol of the ongoing tension between ecological preservation and the rights of local communities. While the report was intended to offer a balanced solution, its legacy remains controversial.
