Government junks Madhav Gadgil report on Western Ghats

The union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has finally buckled under pressure from state governments who had vociferously opposed the Madhav Gadgil report on Western Ghats. The ministry on Wednesday informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that it is not processing the Madhav Gadgil report on Western Ghats any further and that it is instead examining and processing the report of the high-level working group (HLWG) headed by Dr K Kasturirangan.
Interestingly, Madhav Gadgil himself in an open letter last year slammed K Kasturirangan for diluting his report with a subsequent report. The environment ministry move simply means that a huge area of the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats area, which runs across several states including Maharashtra, would be open to activities like dams, mining, power plants and irrigation projects.

Why was Dr K Kasturirangan report preferred?
The basic reason behind Kasturirangan panel being preferred is that his report dilutes the Western Ghat report of Madhav Gadgil. MoEF has been facing intense pressure from state governments which want to carry out developmental activities in their areas. State governments were complaining that if Gadgil committee report is adopted it would mean end to all development activities. So, in simple term, the move means go ahead to mining, dam or other activities that are outside the 37% area ESA suggested by the Kasturirangan report.

What is the difference between the two?
Gadgil report divided Western Ghats spreading over an area of 1,64,280 square km across six states into three ecologically sensitive zones and recommended large scale measures to control environmental degradation in the ecologically sensitive area. It recommended that no clearance be given to dams in some parts of Western Ghats and for Goa it called for an indefinite moratorium on clearances for mining. For Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts of Maharashtra, it said that no new coal based thermal power plants should be allowed.
Kasturirangan panel in its report, however, termed 60% of Western Ghats into cultural landscape (human settlements, agriculture, plantations) and rest 40% as biologically rich natural landscape. It termed around 37 % of Western Ghats, around 60,000 square km area, as ecologically sensitive area and recommended to environment ministry to notify it.

Can mining or construction start? When does it come into effect?
No mining or any construction activity can start as of now. MoEF has only cleared its position regarding multiple reports on Western Ghats in front of NGT where it revealed this. MoEF has said that they have invited comments from various stakeholders including state governments on the draft notification it had issued earlier in March. MoEF's final decision would also be based on views of states which have been exerting huge political pressure on central government due to which UPA had not taken a call on it.

Which companies are likely to benefit?
If MoEF notifies a final policy regarding Western Ghats in accordance with Kasturirangan report, then a huge area of Western Ghat would be open for developmental work. At that time, the companies that are involved in construction activities (like dams) or mining would receive a major benefit. Besides them, other industries active in those areas would also get a breather.