THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Revenue minister E. Chandrasekharan on Friday said the government cannot go by the opinion of each individual on Gadgil Committee report.
The minister said the government has a stand on the issue and he cannot react on the basis of what others have said on the issue. He was responding to question on the criticism raised by veteran CPM leader and former chief minister V.S. Ahuthanandan that the recommendations of Gadgil Committee reports were being overlooked and as a result the state was facing recurrent calamities.
While the CPM and CPI leaders have reiterated that they are committed to environment protection, safeguarding Western Ghats and and preventing constructions and mining in ecologically fragile areas, there is still no clarity in the ruing front on the Gadgil and Kasturirangan reports.
Achuthanandan had stated the other day that even a small child was aware that natural disasters were striking Kerala due to reclamation of paddy land, demolition of hillocks , uncontrolled quarrying , construction of check dams in the hills. The peoples representatives have still not understood the importance of environment protection and checking such violations. A public demand has gained strength for the implementation of Gadgil Committee report . There is a need to check the destruction that is happening on the Western Ghats. Only we will be responsible for natural disasters if we fail to intervene in the matter urgently, the veteran leader said.
Achuthanandan had all along stated that one fifth of the country’s population would be in danger if immediate steps were not taken to protect Western Ghats. Protection of bio rich western ghats was an inevitability to preserve the fragile ecology of not only the state but also the entire region.
On the other hand the CPM state and central leadership was of the opinion that an expert team should be constituted to go into the Gadgil and Kasturirangan reports before any decision is taken to implement their recommendations.
