Leaders and workers of the Congress party, under the leadership of School Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa and former Minister Kimmane Rathnakar, took out a protest march in Tirthahalli taluk on Monday, opposing the implementation of the recommendations of the Kasturirangan committee on the Western Ghats.

Former Minister and Congress leader Kimmane Rathnakar on Wednesday announced a protest march in Tirthahalli taluk on September 7 against the Kasturirangan Committee report on the Western Ghats and demanding the withdrawal of the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) notification.

Hundreds of farmers took part in a protest march from Karanagiri to Hosanagara, about nine kilometres, on Saturday, opposing the seventh draft notification declaring over 20,668 sq. km. of area around the Western Ghats in the State as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA).

Farmers of Hosanagara taluk will take out a padayatra (protest march) on Saturday opposing the Union government’s draft notification proposing to declare 20,668 sq. km of the Western Ghats in Karnataka as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA).

Hundreds of farmers staged a protest and attempt to lay siege to the Assistant Commissioner’s office in Sagar on Thursday, opposing the draft notification issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change declaring parts of the Western Ghats as Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), as per the recommendations of the expert committee headed by K. Kasturirangan.