New Delhi, Oct 22: Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday urged the Centre not to finalise the July 27 draft notification declaring parts of the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), based on the Kasturirangan report, until a state-constituted committee submits its findings in a year.
Shivakumar met Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and discussed the issue along with other pending state proposals.
The draft is the Union Environment Ministry's seventh attempt to notify ESA status for parts of the Western Ghats. It seeks to protect 56,825.7 sq km across six states, including 20,668 sq km in Karnataka.
In a representation to Yadav, the chief minister said he had already asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold off on the draft "until the report of the High Level Committee constituted by the state government is submitted and the physical survey is completed in a year."
He added that the Centre could take further steps in consultation with the state government.
Karnataka's legislature has rejected the draft in its present form and sought physical surveys.
Shivakumar also asked the Centre to consider removing Eco Cane Sugar Energy Ltd from the eco-sensitive zone, saying the unit does not fall within it. Set up in 2016, the company employs over 500 workers, and around 5,000 families depend on the factory.
The chief minister also sought early wildlife clearances for the proposed Sharavathy Pumped Storage Project and the Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir and Drinking Water Project.
