Udupi: Minister for forests, ecology and environment, B Ramanath Rai produced all the documents to the media regarding state government’s views and opinions on the report submitted by Kasturi Rangan committee in the Western ghats to Centre. By producing these documents he counter attacked BJP for its false statement that the state government has not written to the central government regarding Kasturi Rangan committee report. “We have already submitted our stand on the crucial report on April 25,” said Rai.
Recently, BJP MLA Shobha Karandlaje had given a statement that only Kerala and Maharashtra governments have submitted their opinion about the Kasturi Rangan report. But the state government has not yet submitted its report and thereby it has neglected the crucial issue.
Rai said that state government had formed a cabinet sub-committee and divided into two groups, which was constituted to go in to the pros and cons of declaring villages along the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive areas. The committee members had visited each district which comes under Western Ghats region and they also visited villages, collected public opinion and along with government’s stand, the report was submitted to centre.
“When implementing the Kasturi Rangan report, the forest area in the Ghats must be taken into account and leave residential area. As per recommendations contained in the Kasturi rangan committee report on Western Ghats, hospitals have been identified as Red zone and have been proposed to ban it. In the ban, hospitals must be excluded. Stone and sand mining should be banned, and several other views of state government have been submitted to the centre”, Rai said.
Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Minister for urban development and Udupi district in-charge Vinay Kumar Sorake said the Kerala government had not opined that residential areas should be excluded. But after reading out proposals they have submitted, a new proposal was made to exclude residential areas in the Kasturi Rangan report. So all the critics must know these facts and then comment, Sorake said while taking a jab at BJP.
