Fragile Western Ghats paying price of development

Some of the most fragile districts in ecologically sensitive areas (ESA) of Western Ghats have been heavily cut to size, according to a detailed dna analysis of state government reports on physical demarcation of the region.
The demarcation has largely been found in Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka, which are looking to tap in to the tourism and commercial potential of the region. The reports also revealed that private companies, such as Lavasa Corporation Limited and Supreme Petrochem Limited, had written to the state government, asking for exclusion of ESA villages that fell in their project site.

In Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts, the Maharashtra government has excluded more than 50 per cent of ESA area, while in Goa, which witnessed large-scale illegal mining four years ago, 80 per cent of ESA areas has been excluded. The two districts are considered the most fragile in Western Ghats as thermal power projects, mining, industrial zones and private forest plantations have dented their ecology. More industries are on the anvil in the region. 

In July this year, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Coca Cola to set up a Rs500 crore venture in the Lote-Parshuram industrial zone. Local activists said many of the coastal villages that qualified for the ESA tag have been excluded, putting the creek ecosystem in jeopardy. Away from the coast in Mulshi taluka of Pune, Lavasa Corporation Limited (LCL), which had landed itself in controversy over environmental violations five years ago, asked the state government in May this year to exclude 14 villages located in their hill station project from the ESA tag. These villages are in the areas that will be covered under Phase-II of LCL's project, and tagging them as ESAs will prove to be a hurdle for the company. 

LCL chief planner Suresh Pendharkar told the state government in a letter, "The inclusion of these (ESA) villages of Lavasa Hill Station project should be avoided. This inclusion is not in line with the array of government permission granted to it over the past 14 years." dna has a copy of the letter. The state government has included the 14 villages in the ESA category. As per the government, LCL obtained environmental clearance only for Phase-I and that Phase-II will require a permission under the Environment Protection Act,1986. The state government, though, also added that subject to environmental compliance and modifications, LCL can seek a green clearance for Phase-II, even though 14 villages in it will be ESA.

In Karnataka, across Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada and Chikkamagaluru districts, the government has excluded more than 90 per cent of ESA areas. In fact, in Dakshina Kannada district that comprises of coastal and Ghats areas such as Mangalore, Puttur and Sullia, the government did not recommend inclusion of even a single village as ESA, even as the Kasturirangan committee had demarcated 45. Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu districts have witnessed a spurt of development in the recent years and is known for coffee and spice plantations.

In its report, the state government said, "There is vehement and widespread opposition from the people and consent of the Gram Sabhas was also not obtained." The Karnataka government has observed several times that Gram Sabhas have not consented for ESA demarcation, but contrary to this they have also stated that there were time constraints and hence district committees could not reach out to Gram Sabhas. In its recommendations to the Centre, the Karnataka state government has rejected the prohibition on building and construction projects that exceed 20,000 sqm.

On Friday, dna had reported that Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Gujarat and Kerala have recommended that only 19,702.85 sqkm of eco-sensitive area (ESA) should be retained as against the 56,825 sqkm that was identified by the K Kasturirangan-led committee, opening up the rest for development and commercial activities. The state governments were unhappy with the Kasturirangan report and thus the central Government had allowed them to physically verify their ESAs.