Bengaluru: The state government gears up to file its objections once again against the Central Government for issuing the notification for implementation of Kasturirangan Report on protection of Western Ghats.

Speaking to media persons here on Tuesday, Forest and Environment Minister Ramanath Rai accused the Central Government of betraying the people of Western Ghats and farmers of Karnataka. “The Union government has shown bias against Karnataka,” Rai said pointing to the fact that the union government has dropped many villages from Eco Sensitive Zone in Kerala after the neighboring state submitted its objections. “We will file our objections for the third time soon and also lead an all-party delegation to meet the Prime Minister, if necessary, to protect the interest of these 1576 villages,” Rai said.

On Kerala submitting its objections through reports from Gram Sabhas based on Physical Surveying of the areas instead of doing it through the ministers based on Satellite Image based surveys, the minister said, Karnataka too had submitted its report after the spot visit by the officials.

The Central Government has notified, for the third time, Kasturirangan Report after inviting objections twice from the concerned states Gujarat, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Kerala. The notification has drawn the ire of Karnataka as the state government has accused the Union government of ignoring its objections against some of the recommendations of the report.

According to the notification, about 20,0668 sq.km area in the state has been declared as Ecosensitive Zone, which includes 1576 villages.

The notification, if implemented would not allow development works as change in land use would not be permitted. This would mean ban on construction of schools, hospitals or roads in these villages, the farmers in these villages cannot be given land rights and the existing plantations like Coffee, Tea in these will have to go.