A vicious political war has broken out in Kerala over the question of implementation of the recommendations of the Madhav Gadgil Committee and the K Kasturirangan Committee for conserving the delicate ecology of the mighty Western Ghats with almost all parties raising objections to most of the proposals of both panels citing practical difficulties in implementation.
Political parties seem to be competing amongst themselves in opposing in the recommendations for the conservation of the Western Ghats, which is described as the source of all fresh water of the entire State, obviously with an eye on the electoral support of the settler farmers and the religious communities to which they belong.
The CPI(M)-led lDF is observing a 12-hour shutdown in Idukki and Wayanad districts on Friday to protest against the Centre’s reported move to accept the report of the Kasturirangan-headed high-level working group (HlWG) group which had - in a sense — toned down the much harsher proposals of the Gadgil-led Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP).
At the same time, the lDF will boycott an all-party meeting being convened in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, the purpose of which, according to him, is listing of proposals the people in the State want to be considered by the Centre before taking the final decision on steps for conservation of the Western Ghats ecology.
Observers see this as part of a strategy to convince the settler farmers, a huge force electorally in the State, inhabiting the sensitive regions of the Western Ghats about its loyalty to their cause.
For the moment, the left strategy seems to be working well as the High Range Protection Council, a forum of settler farmers and their religious communities they belong to, and the laity Association of the mighty Syro-Malabar Church have pledged their support to the dawn-to-dusk hartal on Friday.
Chief Minister Chandy on Thursday appealed to those agitating against the Kasturirangan panel report to withdraw from the stir saying that these protests were based on misunderstanding about the proposals. Ironically, the Kerala Congress (M), a party of settler farmers and a staunch ally of Chandy’s Congress party, has declared support for Friday’s shutdown.
In a bid to pacify the settler farmers whose short-term interests are going to hit if the proposals are implemented, the Chief Minister said that the Centre’s move was to inform the SC of its stand on the Kasturirangan panel report and not to implement the Gadgil committee recommendations.