Congress leaders take out march opposing ESA notification in Tirthahalli

Leaders and workers of the Congress party, under the leadership of School Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa and former Minister Kimmane Rathnakar, took out a protest march in Tirthahalli taluk on Monday, opposing the implementation of the recommendations of the Kasturirangan committee on the Western Ghats.

The protest march began at Binthla village in the taluk. District Congress Committee president R. Prasanna Kumar, Sringeri MLA T.D. Raje Gowda, the party’s district campaign committee president Ramesh Hegde, and others inaugurated the march.

Along the march, the participants raised slogans against the Central government and opposed the Eco-Sensitive Area (ESA) notification proposed to declare areas across the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive.

Addressing the public meeting held at the end of the march in Tirthahalli, Mr. Bangarappa said the Central government had filed an affidavit on implementing the Kasturirangan committee’s report before the National Green Tribunal. He said the BJP’s “green leaders” had no moral right to oppose the ESA notification.

“Against whom are Shivamogga MP B.Y. Raghavendra and former Minister Araga Jnanendra protesting? The BJP MPs skipped the meetings convened by the Central government on the recommendations of the Kasturirangan report,” he alleged.

Former Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake said that during 2016, when he was a Minister, he had convened village-level meetings and submitted a report on the recommendations of the Kasturirangan committee. However, he alleged, the present government at the Centre was showing interest in implementing the recommendations.

Former Minister Kimmane Rathnakar, who organised the protest march, said he had no hesitation in participating in any non-political programmes. However, he said, he would not join hands with BJP leaders in holding protests on the Kasturirangan issue.

Many Congress leaders including Malnad Area Development Authority chairperson R.M. Manjunath Gowda, Karnataka State Textile Infrastructure Development Corporation chairman K. Chetan and others were present.