Daijiworld Media Network- Mangalore
Mangalore, May 15: The Paschima Ghatta Samrakshana Horata Vedike (Western Ghats Protection Forum) organized a press meet on Wednesday May 14 at the press club here in the city.
Vedike convener C Yethiraj said, “The government had chosen the diluted version of the Kasturi Rangan report for forest conservation instead of the Gadgil report. There are 25,000 permits issued for mining in the state. Now, the Western Ghat rivers have become poisonous because they contain arsenic and fluoride. The government intended to divert the Netravathi river in the name of Yettinahole project and ultimately they will wipe out all river sources.”
“Forest rights have been diluted in the Kasturi Rangan report. The government has further reduced it by setting terms like permitting partial mining and reducing the natural landscape percentage,” he claimed.
He further said that there is need for a keen study of the Gadgil report as well as a comparative study of both reports.
“The government has not described the reports and its implications completely to the people and is misguiding them. So, we are going to the locals including the tribals and farmers along the Ghat boundaries with both the reports and explain the truth to them. It is up to the people to decide what they want and place their decision before the government,” he said.
Nagesh Angirasa said that they have planned to create an awareness among people about the Gadgil report. “So far, two workshops have been held in Chikmagalur and the other in Dakshina Kannada. The forum has collectively decided to organize an interstate conference,” he said.
K N Somshekhar and Suresh Hebbar were also present on the occasion.