Cabinet sub-committee recommends declaration of eco-sensitive areas in state

Bengaluru: The cabinet sub-committee meeting convened at Vidhansouda on Wednesday has given its in-principle approval to recommend to the Central government the declaration of six forest areas in the state as eco-sensitive areas. These areas include Kappattagudda, Bukkapattana, Kamasandra, Nagarhole, and Cauvery Extended Wildlife Sanctuary.

The meeting was chaired by the Forest Wildlife and Environment Minister, Ishwar Khandre. In accordance with the guidelines issued by the Government of India in 2011 and those provided by the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment, these zones are categorized into encouraged activity, restricted activity, and prohibited activity. It was also noted during the meeting that as per a Supreme Court directive related to a writ petition by the Government of India against Godavarman, it is essential to designate the protected forest areas surrounding national parks and wildlife sanctuaries as ecologically sensitive areas.

The Kappattagudda Wildlife Sanctuary covers an area of 244.15 square kilometers, with a total area of 322.695 square kilometers. An Eco-Sensitive Area (ESZ) has been proposed, comprising 23.804 square kilometers of forest area and 298.890 square kilometers of non-forest area.

The Chinkara Wildlife Sanctuary in Bukkapatnam has a total area of 136.11 square kilometers, and its total eco-sensitive area is proposed to be 157.0862 square kilometers. Of this, 18.5662 square kilometers are forested, while 138.52 square kilometers are non-forest area.

The Kamasandra Wildlife Sanctuary, spanning 78.62 square kilometers, is also proposed to have an ecologically sensitive area covering the same extent, including non-forest ESZ coverage.

The Rajiv Gandhi National Park (Nagarhole Tiger Reserve) extends over 643.39 square kilometers, with a proposed eco-sensitive area of 573.97 square kilometers. This consists of 302.36 square kilometers of forest and 271.61 square kilometers of non-forest area.

In addition, Anashi National Park and Dandi Wildlife Sanctuary, covering a total of 669.06 square kilometers, are recommended for eco-sensitive area declaration. Of this, 448.81 square kilometers are forested, while 220.25 square kilometers are non-forest area.

Finally, the Cauvery Extended Wildlife Sanctuary comprises 53.39 square kilometers, with 145.369 square kilometers designated as forest area, and an ecologically sensitive area encompassing this region.

In the meeting of the cabinet sub-committee tasked with recommending the notification of eco-sensitive zones to the Central government, several prominent ministers were present, including Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundurao, Revenue Minister Krishnabhairegowda, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa, and Fisheries Minister Mankala Vaidya.