Kochi: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Thursday lashed out at the media for misleading the public on the Kasturirangan report.
“There was no decision on the part of the centre to implement the report without consulting the states and the December 20 office memorandum issued by the Union government in this regard stands. By hiding this fact, the media has been spreading misinformation,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the national e-governance conference here.
Chandy will meet the Union Minister for Forests and Environment Veerappa Moily in New Delhi on Friday and present the Oommen V. Oommen panel report. The panel had recommended against considering the 123 villages close to the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive zones (ESZs).
According to Chandy, the Union government, while reiterating its intent to implement the November 13, 2013 order, never said that the recommendation for declaring 123 villages as ESZs would be implemented.
“The submission by the centre before the Green Tribunal was that it favoured proposals like bans on thermal plants, buildings with built-up area over two lakh sqft and townships covering 50 acres or more,” he clarified.
“Media reports led to discontent among the public and a series of hartals. The media should stop this,” Chandy said.
