Chikkamagaluru: Congress workers on Monday came down heavily on MPs representing the Karnataka Western Ghats region, alleging that their failure, including that of Mysore MP Yaduveer Wadiyar, led to the Union govt issuing the seventh draft notification on the K Kasturirangan Committee recommendations to declare parts of the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs).The Congress, along with various organisations, staged a massive protest against the Union govt’s move to declare parts of the Western Ghats as ESA.Addressing the protesters, Congress leader and advocate Sudhir Kumar Murolli said that except Chamarajanagar MP Sunil Bose of the Congress, all other MPs representing the region, including Kota Srinivas Poojary, Brijesh Chowta, BY Raghavendra, Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri and Yaduveer, belong to the BJP.The MPs should clarify how the Union govt released the draft notification without their consent, he demanded. Murolli also took exception to Kota Srinivas Poojary’s statement that he would lead a delegation to chief minister DK Shivakumar on the issue.He said Shivakumar was aware of the plight of Malnad residents and had already assured that the state govt would never accept the notification. Alleging that the MP was unable to secure an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Murolli said he was instead seeking a meeting with the chief minister.Murolli said people in the Malnad region were facing hardships but continued to lead dignified lives, and alleged that the Union govt was disturbing them with unscientific schemes. Stating that each gram panchayat had at least 150 pending housing applications, he questioned where people would go if the ESA notification was implemented.
