Karnataka rejects latest Kasturirangan ESA draft, seeks one-year time for fresh survey

The Karnataka legislature has unanimously rejected the latest draft notification identifying large parts of the Western Ghats as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA), with the state government seeking one year from the Centre to conduct a fresh, plot-level survey before the boundaries are finalised.

The resolution, moved by Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister Ramalinga Reddy, says Karnataka does not accept the seventh draft ESA notification issued by the Union government on July 27, 2026, in its present form.

Under the latest draft, about 20,668 sq km covering 1,449 villages across 10 Karnataka districts have been identified as ESA. The government argues that the proposed boundaries have been drawn largely using satellite data rather than joint physical surveys and do not adequately distinguish forests from agricultural land, plantations, houses and public facilities.

The resolution was adopted after Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, ministers and legislators visited Udupi, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan districts to hear concerns raised by residents over the proposed ESA notification. A special session was subsequently convened to discuss the Kasturirangan report along with the state’s drought situation.

One of the state’s principal objections is that entire villages could come under the ESA merely because one-fifth of their area is classified as forest. Karnataka has termed this approach scientifically inappropriate.

The government has also pointed to unresolved land-related issues, including bagar-hukum applications, forest rights claims, deemed forests, land grants, appeals and cases pending before courts. It argues that these issues need to be settled or considered before ESA boundaries are finalised.

The resolution calls for only notified forest and other forest areas to be included in the ESA, except areas already granted or settled under existing processes. Agricultural land, horticultural and plantation areas, human settlements and areas used for public activities should be excluded, it says.

Karnataka has also sought survey-number-wise demarcation of forests, settlements, agricultural areas and ecologically sensitive zones through a physical survey by an expert committee. The exercise, according to the resolution, should establish the actual land-use pattern on the ground rather than rely solely on satellite-based classification.

The state has proposed setting up a high-level committee headed by a retired judge. Revenue and forest officials, representatives of farmers and industries, and experts and scientists from academic institutions specialising in forests and the environment will be included in the committee.

At the village level, committees involving elected representatives will also be formed to assist the state-level exercise.

Another demand concerns people whose livelihoods could be affected by ESA restrictions. The resolution asks for guidelines providing alternative livelihood opportunities and financial assistance to farmers and workers affected by the notification.

Karnataka will ask the Union government not to finalise the notification relating to the state until the proposed survey and review are completed. It will seek one year to finish the exercise and submit its report. The state has also asked that the Centre to hold detailed discussions with Karnataka after receiving the report before taking a final decision.

The resolution therefore does not seek to abandon protection of the Western Ghats. Instead, it seeks a different basis for demarcation—one that Karnataka says should combine ecological considerations with ground-level land records, settlement patterns and the livelihood concerns of communities living in the Ghats.

The Centre’s response to the state’s demand for additional time and a fresh survey will determine the next stage of the long-running dispute over the implementation of the Kasturirangan recommendations in Karnataka.