# Karnataka will reject Western Ghats ESA draft, says Madhu Bangarappa 2026-08-26T15:32:06+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Karnataka school education minister Madhu Bangarappa has said the state government will reject the Union environment ministry's draft notification declaring parts of the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). In a statement on Wednesday, he appealed to residents of the Malnad region not to worry, saying the Congress government led by chief minister Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar stands with them. The draft notification covers 20,668 sq km across 1,576 villages in Karnataka, including 484 villages in Shivamogga district, based on the Kasturirangan committee report. Bangarappa said inhabited areas and agricultural land have been included, causing concern among farmers. He added that the government had earlier rejected the notification and will oppose it again, and that elected representatives from the region have also opposed it. The minister alleged that BJP legislators did not raise the issue in the assembly session or try to stop the draft at the Centre. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The Kasturirangan committee report, submitted in 2013, aimed to balance conservation with development by identifying 56,825 sq km across six states as ESA, but Karnataka's 20,668 sq km is the largest share. The state government's opposition mirrors its 2014 stance under the previous Congress government, which also rejected the draft. The real friction is between the Union environment ministry's push for protection and the state's concern over restrictions on farming, mining and construction that the ESA tag would impose on millions of residents. The next step is for the Union ministry to review state-level objections before finalising the notification, a process that could take months. The next signal to watch is the Karnataka government's formal response to the Union ministry's public notice on the draft. ## Coverage - thehindu.com The story reports the minister's statement directly without added commentary or framing This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Ecologically Sensitive Area, Kasturirangan committee, Madhu Bangarappa, shivamogga, Siddaramaiah, Western Ghats Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/karnataka-will-reject-western-ghats-esa-draft-says-madhu-bangarappa/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/karnataka-will-reject-western-ghats-esa-draft-says-madhu-bangarappa/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/