Cautious welcome to final notification on area around Kappatagudda Wildlife Sanctuary
Addressing presspersons in Hubballi on Saturday, founder-president of SPS and NCPNR S.R. Hiremath said that while they cautiously welcome the notification, they plan to hold in-depth discussion with all those concerned, including the seer of Gadag Tontdarya Mutt who successfully continues the movement initiated by his predecessor Sri Siddalinga Swami opposing mining and seeking protection to the unique eco system in Kappatagudda.
The Kappatagudda Wildlife Sanctuary is spread out over 244.15 sq km comprising four taluks of Gadag district. And, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued the final notification on June 4, declaring 423.7 sq km area around the sanctuary as Eco Sensitive Zone.
Mr. Hiremath said that they plan to call for a meeting about the notification and also discuss the need to pressurise the Karnataka government to drop the 18 mining proposals. Earlier, the State government put off (not dropped) the decision on these proposals.
The meeting will also deliberate the sustained decade-long people's movement led by the Tontadarya Mutt and various organisations, including SPS and NCPNR, he said.
He said that as the government is expected to prepare the zonal master plan in consultation with local communities, various departments and other stakeholders, the proposed meeting will also deliberate the related issues so that the mining proposals are cancelled permanently.
Book release
Mr. Hiremath, meanwhile, said that during the Emergency, the Indian diaspora in the United States resisted Indira Gandhi's authoritarian rule and many who believed in Gandhian values came together to save India's democracy. A book, The Conscience Network: A chronicle of resistance to a dictatorship, by Sugata Srinivasraju, which records these efforts, will be released in Bengaluru on July 4, he added.
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India was one of the first countries that raised the question of Namibian independence at the UN. Trade between the two countries touched $650 million in 2023. India's top export to Namibia was refined petroleum. Its other exports were petrol, pharmaceuticals and rice. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Its top import from Namibia was diamonds. Its other top imports were bulk minerals, ores, iron and steel. India, which is looking to diversify its energy sector, sees Namibia, which has plentiful supplies of uranium, diamonds, copper, phosphates and other minerals, as a great potential partner. Namibia in 2022 also sent India eight cheetahs that were released in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. With inputs from agencies
