Congress warns Centre against notifying eco-sensitive areas in Western Ghats

coastaldigest.com news network

August 17, 2018

Mangaluru, Aug 17: Minister for Forests, Environment and Ecology B Ramanath Rai has warned that the Congress will hold a State-wide protest if the Centre notifies ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs) in the Western Ghats as per the recommendation of the Kasturirangan committee disregarding Karnataka’s opposition.

Addressing a press meet here on Thursday, Mr. Rai said that a draft notification by the Centre, in 2014, notified 20,688 square km in 1,576 villages of 10 districts in the State, including Dakshina Kannada, as ESAs based on the Kasturirangan Committee’s report.

The State government then carried out a detailed physical verification and sought substantial means of compensation to mitigate hardship to displaced families. Disregarding the State’s contention, the Centre issued another draft notification on February 27, 2017.

A Cabinet Sub-committee then held detailed consultations with elected representatives and people.

The committee found that the State has 30,573 square kilometres of forest cover which was more than the area envisaged by the Kasturirangan committee.

As the Cabinet Sub-committee had said that Kasturirangan Committee report could not be implemented, the State government accordingly conveyed its opinion to the Centre in April 2017.

Minister in-charge for Dakshina Kannada U T Khader said that the Centre on July 13 asked the State government to constitute a committee to look into the apprehensions and concerns of the State regarding declaration of ESAs. It has been told to send its views along with maps of ESA area, geo cooridnates and list of villages that will help the Centre to expedite the process of final notification of ESAs in Western Ghats, he said.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

Comments