Narrowed posture: On Karnataka and the Kasturirangan Report
The Karnataka Legislative Assembly passed a resolution rejecting the Kasturirangan Committee report on Western Ghats conservation "in its present form"
The resolution followed a special discussion in the Assembly and urged the Union government to rectify what it described as deficiencies in the report
The rejection responds to the seventh draft Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) notification issued in July 2026, which identifies about 20,668 sq km across 1,449 villages in 10 Karnataka districts as ESA
Concerns raised include the inclusion of forest land, agricultural land, plantations and houses within ESA boundaries, the absence of alternative livelihood support for affected residents, and the practice of classifying an entire village as ESA when only a fraction of it falls within forest limits
The Kasturirangan Committee (2013) and Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) Demarcation
The High-Level Working Group on Western Ghats, chaired by K. Kasturirangan, was constituted in 2012 to review the recommendations of the earlier Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (Gadgil Committee, 2011), and submitted its report in 2013. It divided the Western Ghats into "natural landscape" (forests, wildlife habitats) and "cultural landscape" (settlements, plantations, agriculture), recommending stricter regulation mainly in the natural landscape.
Key Details
- The Kasturirangan Committee recommended that 37% of the total Western Ghats area (roughly 60,000 sq km) be declared ESA
- It proposed a ban on mining, quarrying, red-category industries and thermal power projects within the ESA
- This was a significant scaling-down from the Gadgil Committee's recommendation, which effectively treated 64% of the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive
The current draft ESA notification for Karnataka (July 2026) operationalises the Kasturirangan Committee's 2013 recommendation for that state — it is this specific implementation that the Assembly has now rejected.
Gadgil Committee (2011) vs Kasturirangan Committee (2013) — Comparative Approach
The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (Gadgil Committee, 2011) treated the entire Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive and proposed graded zones of regulation (ESZ 1, 2, 3) across the whole region, while the Kasturirangan Committee narrowed the ESA to a subset of "natural landscape" areas only.
Key Details
- The Gadgil report was not accepted by any state government in its original form
- The Kasturirangan report was adopted as the basis for official notification, though even its reduced coverage has faced sustained state-level pushback (Kerala, Karnataka, Goa) across successive draft notifications since 2014
Karnataka's rejection is part of a long-running pattern in which even the more moderate Kasturirangan framework has struggled to be notified in final form across the Western Ghats states.
Statutory Basis — Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, Section 3(2)(v)
ESA notifications are issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) under Section 3(2)(v) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, which empowers the central government to restrict or prohibit industries, operations or processes in specified areas on ecological grounds.
Key Details
- ESA notifications under this provision have been issued since 1989
- Unlike an EIA Notification-based clearance, which is project-specific, an ESA notification is area-specific and imposes standing restrictions — such as a mining and red-category industry ban — irrespective of individual project appraisal
Karnataka's demand to first complete its own survey before implementation tests how much room a state has to seek modification of a central government notification issued under this central statute.
Federalism in Environmental Regulation — State Objections to Central ESA Notifications
Environment and forests fall in the Concurrent List (List III, Seventh Schedule), but the power to notify ESAs under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 rests with the Union government; states can object, seek revisions, or request extensions during the draft notification's consultation process, but cannot unilaterally override it.
Key Details
- Karnataka has sought a one-year extension to complete a village-level survey before finalising its position on the ESA boundaries
- This is the seventh iteration of the draft notification for Western Ghats ESA since the Kasturirangan report, reflecting a repeated cycle of draft, state objection and revision
The Assembly resolution is an expression of the state's position within this consultative process; it does not by itself alter the notification, which remains a central government instrument.
- Kasturirangan Committee report submitted: 2013; recommended ESA coverage: 37% of Western Ghats (~60,000 sq km)
- Gadgil Committee (2011) recommended ESA coverage: 64% of Western Ghats
- Seventh draft ESA notification for Karnataka issued: 27 July 2026
- Scope of Karnataka's draft ESA: ~20,668 sq km, 1,449 villages, 10 districts
- Statutory basis: Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, Section 3(2)(v)
- Karnataka's request: one-year extension to complete its own survey before final recommendations