· Environmentalists say eco sensitive spots are on the verge of extinction

· Delegation meets Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister in Bangalore

SHIMOGA: Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has said that a joint meeting of officials and environmentalists will be convened this month in Bangalore to discuss the environment-related problems in the Western Ghats region.

The Deputy Chief Minister gave this assurance to a delegation of environmentalists comprising members of the Vruksha Laksha Andolana, Seva Sagar and other organisations, which met him in Bangalore last month.

In a memorandum, the delegation said that some of the environmentally sensitive spots in the Western Ghats region such as Yana, Kattalekadu, Tadari, Sahasralinga, Ammanaghatta Hogarekanugiri and Ambaragudda which are of the global importance have found a mention in the Environment Report of the State Government brought out in 2003.

Sensitive spots

It said these environmentally sensitive spots are on the verge of extinction unless a comprehensive conservation programme with the active involvement of local people is launched,

"These spots should be declared as biotic and environmentally sensitive spots under the provisions of Wildlife Conservation Act and the Conservation of Forest Act," it said.

The delegation also met Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and the MLAs from the Malnad region to apprise them of the situation arising out of the destruction of the forest and other natural resources in the Western Ghats region.

The delegation, led by the convener of the Vruksha Laksha Andolana Ananth Hegde Ashishara comprised environmentalists B.H. Raghavendra, M.R. Hegde, Thimmanna Tondekere, Gorasukudige Gajendra, Ravi Haniya, Ramappa, Tumari Ashok, Balachandra and Kishore Kumar.

Task force

The memorandum demanded, among other things, that the Government set up of a special task force to check the destruction of the forest and natural resources, smuggling of the forest products and poaching by equipping the forest staff with the modern and sophisticated arms; utilising half of the revenue generated from the sale of the forest goods for the conservation of the forest in the Western Ghats region; revival of the Village Forest Committees; winding up of Social Forest Wing of the Forest Department if afforestation related programmes cannot be entrusted to it.

It also sought cancellation of the environmental impact report on the proposed Gundya Hydel Project as the details contained in it are "false" and "far from truth."

The project should be dropped as it will result in the submersion of nearly 3000 acres of forest area and permission for mining at Hogarekanugiri in Chikmagalur and Ambaragudda in the Kodachadri ranges in Shimoga district should not be renewed, the memorandum said.

Action sought

It said action should be initiated against those responsible for the violation of the CRZ Act in the name of the construction of a hotel. The proposal to set up thermal power projects at Tadari, Nagarjun and Hanakona should be dropped, the memorandum added.