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Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) will opt out of an all-party meeting called by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Monday to discuss the K. Kasturirangan Committee report on Western Ghats.
LDF leaders said here that this is only in line with its continuing boycott of the ‘solar scam-tainted’ Chief Minister and all public events/initiatives taken up at his behest.
VIEWS IN WRITING
The Opposition would instead give its views on implementation of the Kasturirangan Committee recommendations in writing to the government.
The Centre had sought the opinion of State governments on the panel report. The Kerala Government has already submitted its preliminary view. The final position was to be conveyed after the all-party meeting.
An estimated 60,000 sq km of the Western Ghats across six States was declared ‘ecologically sensitive area’ by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests last Wednesday.
It meant that activities such as mining, quarrying, thermal power plants and polluting industries will not be allowed in the area. Other projects can go ahead only with the prior consent of local gram sabhas.
SETBACK FOR FARMERS
This was a follow-up to the two reports on the Western Ghats authored by expert committees headed by ecologist Madhav Gadgil and later by Kasturirangan, member, Planning Commission.
The Opposition LDF is of the view that the interests of the farmers in the spice and plantation-growing Idukki and Wayanad districts will be adversely affected if these recommendations were implemented.
It shared the concerns of the State Government in this context. The LDF has also called a dawn-to-dusk hartal in the Idukki district on Friday.
WELCOME SHIFT
An official spokesman quoted the Chief Minister as saying that the Kasturirangan panel suggestions appeared to be sympathetic to the issues raised by the State Government.
In this respect, these made for a welcome shift in stance compared to the predecessor Gadgil committee recommendations.
But it still has a number of proposals that the State government is not comfortable with, the Chief Minister said. It will continue its efforts to convince the Centre and the Supreme Court about them.
The government will look at implementing the recommendations with the main objective of ensuring protection of the environment but without putting the people to unnecessary hardship.
vinson.kurian@thehindu.co.in
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