Speaking at a press conference here on Wednesday, member of the forum K N Somashekhar, who is a Lok Sabha candidate for Mangalore Parliamentary constituency, said that the state government was trying to unjustifiably ignore the recommendations of Prof Madhav Gadgil Committee report. “The Kasturirangan Committee was constituted to sideline the Gadgil Committee report. There is a need for a permanent policy on the conservation of Western Ghats,” he said, urging that the complete recommendations of the Gadgil Committee report should be implemented for the protection of the area.
He said that the government had issued a circular on the Kasturirangan Committee report without making it known to the people. Based on the urgency with which the developmental projects' such as Yettinahole river diversion project are being initiated, the government's stand on the project suggests the influence of businessmen and private lobbyists behind it, he said, adding that the conservation of the Western Ghats was not a regional, but a national issue.
“The winning Lok Sabha member for Mangalore constituency should be clear on his stand on the Yettinahole river diversion project,” he urged.
The forum has released a book in six languages highlighting the recommendations of the two committees.
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