A delegation of elected representatives met Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa here Thursday and the state government to recommend the Ministry of Environment and Forest to revise the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) notification of 57 villages in the buffer zone of Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary.
The ministry had notified 740 sqkm area around the Sanctuary as an ESZ in June this year, attracting opposition from residents of these villages spread across Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru districts. Locals had petitioned the district administrations against it maintaining that final ESZ notification was issued without consulting them.
Kannada and Culture Minister C T Ravi told DH that they recommended declaring only forest land as ESZ rather than including revenue villages in the same. “There are models in other states, where ESZ or buffer zones are declared based on the distance from the forest boundary, which also can be emulated,” he
said.
There is local opposition to the notification, Ravi said, adding that the CM has assured to communicate the demands to the Centre.