BJP leader oppose ESA notification

Former minister, BJP leader Hartal Halappa addressing a press conference in Shivamogga on Thursday. | Photo Credit: S.K. Dinesh Former Minister and BJP leader Haratal Halappa has opposed the draft notification declaring parts of the Western Ghats, including villages on the foothills, as an eco-sensitive area.Addressing a press conference in Shivamogga on Thursday, Mr. Halappa said the Centre had issued the draft notification for the seventh time, based on the recommendations of the Kasturirangan Committee on the Western Ghats, headed by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K. Kasturirangan. The draft notification seeks to declare 20,668 sq km of area in Karnataka, spanning 1,449 villages — including 447 in Shivamogga district — as eco-sensitive.If the notification were fi