India’s Emerging Ecological Public and the Western Ghats …
427
The same the report was applauded and supported by various parties in Kerala,
including socially marginalised sections of the Hindu right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and civil society groups. The vulnerable social groups, including
the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the Dalit organisations also displayed
wide support. The chief of the Mannan (Adivasi) community, who had influence
over 46 hamlets in the forests of Idukki district, defended the Gadgil report saying
the implementation of the report only could save the shrinking forests (Nair and
Moolakkattu 2017, p. 60). The non-Syrian sections of the Church, the Bishop of the
Madhya Kerala Diocese, Church of South India, Thomas K. Oommen, gave staunch
support to the voices of the KDMS, (Kerala Dalit Mahasabha) who supported the
Gadgil report. The Bishop also cautioned the vested interests of the mining, resortowning and sand mafia elements that were sponsoring agitations against the Western Ghats conservation. The Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (the people’s science
movement in Kerala), a voluntary organisation revived its campaign to support the
report on the environment day on 05 June 2014 (India, June 2014). Out of the six
states, Kerala expressed strong protests against the report.
In the state of Karnataka, the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS) demanded
that the State government should reject the report terming it “anti-tribal”, “antifarmer” and “anti-people”. In fact, Karnataka state declined to accept the notification
of MoEF declaring the Western Ghats as eco-sensitive area (ESA) arguing that such
an act will have an adverse effect on the state’s economy. It opposed the panel’s
recommendations that “All red category industries will be restricted in the Ghats”.
11
While Karnataka state strongly opposed the notification of ESA the remaining five
contiguous states agreed to accept some proposals of the Panel. However the notification that 75% of the Western Ghats area to be declared as ESA was highly contested
by the states. The panel’s appeal to involve the local bodies and villagers in deciding
the development projects received maximum opposition. The State of Tamil Nadu
put forward the argument that its own forest laws were sufficiently rigorous and no
central initiatives were necessary. Karnataka, though it agreed to the mining ban,
expressed its desire to continue stone and sand mining.
6 Accommodating Democratic Dissent and the Future
of Western Ghats
The ecological movements bearing on the Western Ghats that preceded the Gadgil
committee initiative trace their own trajectory, a few of them subsequently merging
with the larger democratic assertions. What I am concerned here is the rise of new
initiatives following the Gadgil Report that resulted in a qualitatively different phase
of ecological sensitivity with regard to the Western Ghats. Environmental movements
have grown in frequency and intensity involving people from all social strata. They
revolve around competing claims and also incorporate the struggle of the victims
11 Red category industries are heavily polluting industries like pesticides, petrochemicals etc.
427
The same the report was applauded and supported by various parties in Kerala,
including socially marginalised sections of the Hindu right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and civil society groups. The vulnerable social groups, including
the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the Dalit organisations also displayed
wide support. The chief of the Mannan (Adivasi) community, who had influence
over 46 hamlets in the forests of Idukki district, defended the Gadgil report saying
the implementation of the report only could save the shrinking forests (Nair and
Moolakkattu 2017, p. 60). The non-Syrian sections of the Church, the Bishop of the
Madhya Kerala Diocese, Church of South India, Thomas K. Oommen, gave staunch
support to the voices of the KDMS, (Kerala Dalit Mahasabha) who supported the
Gadgil report. The Bishop also cautioned the vested interests of the mining, resortowning and sand mafia elements that were sponsoring agitations against the Western Ghats conservation. The Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (the people’s science
movement in Kerala), a voluntary organisation revived its campaign to support the
report on the environment day on 05 June 2014 (India, June 2014). Out of the six
states, Kerala expressed strong protests against the report.
In the state of Karnataka, the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS) demanded
that the State government should reject the report terming it “anti-tribal”, “antifarmer” and “anti-people”. In fact, Karnataka state declined to accept the notification
of MoEF declaring the Western Ghats as eco-sensitive area (ESA) arguing that such
an act will have an adverse effect on the state’s economy. It opposed the panel’s
recommendations that “All red category industries will be restricted in the Ghats”.
11
While Karnataka state strongly opposed the notification of ESA the remaining five
contiguous states agreed to accept some proposals of the Panel. However the notification that 75% of the Western Ghats area to be declared as ESA was highly contested
by the states. The panel’s appeal to involve the local bodies and villagers in deciding
the development projects received maximum opposition. The State of Tamil Nadu
put forward the argument that its own forest laws were sufficiently rigorous and no
central initiatives were necessary. Karnataka, though it agreed to the mining ban,
expressed its desire to continue stone and sand mining.
6 Accommodating Democratic Dissent and the Future
of Western Ghats
The ecological movements bearing on the Western Ghats that preceded the Gadgil
committee initiative trace their own trajectory, a few of them subsequently merging
with the larger democratic assertions. What I am concerned here is the rise of new
initiatives following the Gadgil Report that resulted in a qualitatively different phase
of ecological sensitivity with regard to the Western Ghats. Environmental movements
have grown in frequency and intensity involving people from all social strata. They
revolve around competing claims and also incorporate the struggle of the victims
11 Red category industries are heavily polluting industries like pesticides, petrochemicals etc.