Ivan D’Souza urges special session to discuss Kasturirangan report

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Aug 29, 2026: MLC Ivan D’Souza has urged Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to convene a special session of the state legislature to hold a comprehensive discussion on the implementation of the Kasturirangan Committee report on Western Ghats conservation.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, D’Souza said the Centre’s decision to implement the Kasturirangan report in its present form would adversely affect thousands of families living in the Western Ghats region.

He said areas with rubber and arecanut plantations often appear like forests when surveyed through satellites or helicopters. “It is unfortunate that densely populated areas of the coastal and Malnad regions have been identified as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs) merely on the basis of maps, without understanding the ground realities and scientific factors,” he said.

The actual situation on the ground should be studied before taking any decision, he said, adding that the entire Hebri taluk had been brought under the Kasturirangan report.

According to the report, out of the 56,000 sq km identified as ecologically sensitive in the Western Ghats, 20,668 sq km covering 33 taluks and 1,533 gram panchayats across 10 Karnataka districts falls under the proposed ESA. Around 37% of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts has been brought under the ambit, which D’Souza said would seriously affect the livelihood of local residents.

He alleged that forest officials were harassing residents in the name of ESA restrictions and preventing them from constructing houses, carrying out agricultural and horticultural activities and developing basic infrastructure.

“Until a comprehensive discussion is held in the special session and a final decision is taken, the Forest Department should not cause any inconvenience to farmers or the public,” he said.

D’Souza said the state government had rejected the report several times in the past, but there was a lack of coordination between the state and Central governments on the issue. MPs from the coastal region and Union ministers, including Shobha Karandlaje, should raise the issue at the Central level and in Parliament and work towards a permanent solution, he said.

The views of local panchayats, farmers and environmental experts should be considered, and decisions should be based on scientific data and ground realities, he added.

On the demand for a High Court Bench in the coastal region, D’Souza said some vested interests were opposing the proposal, while the general public supported it. “We have already met the judges and presented the facts. They have expressed their agreement and will soon constitute a committee to examine the issue. The committee will conduct a detailed study and submit its report,” he said.

D’Souza also welcomed the recent transfer of the Mangaluru railway area to the Mysuru Division of the South Western Railway, describing it as the result of years of struggle.

“There is no loss to Kerala because of this decision. Railway services should be people-friendly, but we have suffered injustice so far due to the stepmotherly attitude of the Palakkad Division. With Mangaluru now coming under the Mysuru Division, it will be easier to fulfil our long-pending demands related to the railways,” he said.

Asked about the possibility of becoming the Dakshina Kannada District Congress president, D’Souza said the post carried significant responsibility, particularly with elections approaching.

“The district president will have to travel extensively across the district and strengthen the party organisation. If the high command entrusts me with the responsibility, I will certainly accept it,” he said.

Mangaluru City Block Congress president Prakash Salyan, former corporators Bhaskar Rao and Satish Pengal, and Congress leaders Manuraj M.P., Meena Tellis, Imran A.R., Habibulla Kannur and Narayana Kotyan were present at the press conference.