Karnataka to hold special session on Western Ghats ESA notification
Synopsis
Karnataka is calling a special legislative session to push back against the Centre's draft order that would tag 20,668 sq km of the state — across 33 taluks and 1,449 villages — as a Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area. Chief Minister Shivakumar is framing it as a federal fairness issue, not just an environmental one, and is heading to Delhi to confront Union Ministers directly.
Key Takeaways
Shivakumar announced a one-day special legislative session on 26 August to discuss the Centre's Western Ghats ESA draft notification.
The Centre's seventh draft notification proposes declaring 56,000 sq km across six states as an Ecologically Sensitive Area; Karnataka's share is 20,668 sq km across 33 taluks in 10 districts and 1,449 villages .
The Siddaramaiah Cabinet had earlier unanimously urged the Centre to withdraw the notification; Shivakumar called the Centre's decision to proceed 'unilateral.' A bipartisan legislative resolution, Cabinet deliberation, and public awareness campaigns are planned before a delegation heads to New Delhi .
More than 100 taluks in Karnataka are expected to be declared drought-hit, with relief demands also to be raised in Delhi.
Karnataka Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar on Wednesday, 26 August announced that the state government will convene a one-day special legislative session to deliberate on the Centre's seventh draft notification proposing to designate large swathes of the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), based on the K. Kasturirangan Committee report. The announcement signals a direct confrontation between the Karnataka government and the Centre over a notification that could affect the livelihoods of farmers and residents across 10 districts.
What the Centre Has Proposed
The seventh draft notification, issued on 31 July 2024, proposes declaring 56,000 sq km across six states as an ESA. Karnataka's share of the proposed ESA covers 20,668 sq km, spanning 33 taluks in 10 districts and 1,449 villages. The districts in question include Belagavi, Chamarajanagar, Chikkamagaluru, Madikeri, Hassan, Karwar, Mangaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, and Udupi.
Karnataka's Stand Against the Notification
Shivakumar, speaking to reporters after a meeting with Congress MLCs and candidates from the previous Assembly elections, made clear that the state rejects the notification in its current form. 'The seventh draft notification issued by the Centre based on the Kasturirangan report should not be finalised in its present form,' he said. He added that the Centre 'cannot have one set of rules for Karnataka and another elsewhere,' framing the dispute as one of federal equity.
This is not the first time Karnataka has pushed back. The Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet had previously passed a unanimous resolution urging the Centre to reject the Kasturirangan Committee recommendations and withdraw the draft notification. Shivakumar said the Centre's decision to proceed regardless was 'unilateral' and unacceptable to the state.
What the Special Session Will Do
The special legislative session is intended to produce a bipartisan decision — a signal that the Karnataka government wants cross-party legislative backing before escalating the matter with New Delhi. Following the session, the issue will also be taken up in the Cabinet, and public awareness campaigns will be launched to inform affected communities. Shivakumar said he will personally lead a delegation to Delhi to meet Union Ministers and legal experts to discuss the state's position within the legal framework.
Broader Context: Farmers, Drought, and Governance
The ESA row comes as Karnataka grapples with a worsening drought situation. Shivakumar said more than 100 taluks are expected to be declared drought-hit shortly, with further taluks to be added subsequently. He will also raise drought relief demands during his Delhi visit. Separately, the state government has directed ministers to visit districts on the first and third Saturdays of every month to resolve local grievances, with the programme set to extend to the hobli level across all 224 Assembly constituencies. A new Prajaseva Department has been created to help MLAs engage with constituents at the panchayat level.
With a special session, a Cabinet deliberation, public consultations, and a Delhi delegation all in the pipeline, Karnataka's response to the Western Ghats ESA notification is shaping up to be one of the most sustained state-Centre confrontations on an environmental policy in recent years.
Point of View
Making it harder for the Centre to dismiss the objection as partisan. But the state's track record on the Kasturirangan issue is one of repeated resolutions without resolution: the Siddaramaiah Cabinet said the same thing, and the Centre proceeded anyway. The real question is whether Karnataka has a legal strategy to match its political one, because notifications of this kind, once finalised, are difficult to roll back through political pressure alone. The 1,449 villages affected are not an abstraction — they represent a constituency of farmers whose land-use rights could be curtailed, and neither the Centre nor the state has clearly explained what ESA status would actually prohibit or permit in practice.
NationPress
27 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area notification?
It is the Centre's seventh draft notification, issued on 31 July 2024, proposing to designate 56,000 sq km across six states as an Ecologically Sensitive Area based on the K. Kasturirangan Committee report. In Karnataka, the proposal covers 20,668 sq km across 33 taluks in 10 districts and 1,449 villages.
Why is Karnataka opposing the Western Ghats ESA notification?
The Karnataka government argues the notification in its current form would adversely affect farmers' livelihoods and future development in the affected districts. Chief Minister Shivakumar has also raised concerns about federal equity, saying the Centre cannot apply different standards to different states.
What will the special legislative session decide?
The one-day special session is intended to produce a bipartisan legislative position on the ESA notification. The outcome will feed into a Cabinet discussion and inform the delegation that Chief Minister Shivakumar plans to lead to New Delhi to meet Union Ministers and legal experts.
Which districts in Karnataka are affected by the proposed ESA?
The 10 districts proposed for ESA designation in Karnataka are Belagavi, Chamarajanagar, Chikkamagaluru, Madikeri, Hassan, Karwar, Mangaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, and Udupi, covering 33 taluks and 1,449 villages.
Has Karnataka raised this objection before?
Yes. The Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet had previously passed a unanimous resolution urging the Centre to reject the Kasturirangan Committee recommendations and withdraw the draft notification. The Centre proceeded regardless, which Shivakumar described as a 'unilateral decision' that the state does not accept.
