The Western Ghats, one of the world’s last biodiversity hotspots, could soon be brought under the ambit of “development”. A crucial report prepared by former space scientist K. Kasturirangan, Planning Commission member, has recommended that a “prohibitive regime” be enforced around 40 per cent of the Ghats as these come under the category of “ecologically sensitive”.
This area, a high-level working group has determined, covers a 60,000 sq km area spread across the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This is a clear departure from an earlier recommendation by leading environmentalist Madhav Gadgil that the entire Western Ghats area be declared “ecologically sensitive”, with three levels of categorisation, to be overseen by a new Western Ghats Ecology Authority.
The Kasturirangan report is a clear dilution of the Gadgil report. The new study distinguishes between the cultural and natural landscape, and notes the cultural landscape, comprising human settlements, agricultural fields and plantations, covers 58.44 per cent of the region.
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SC gives dutt 4 more weeks, ticks off CBI
Age Correspondent
New Delhi, April 17
The Supreme Court Wednesday granted Sanjay Dutt an additional four weeks to surrender. The court told the CBI, when the agency pleaded against relief: “We are saying it in a lighter vein, you have not challenged his acquittal under TADA when you filed many appeals in other cases. Who prevented you... In many appeals filed by the CBI we enhanced the sentence.”