Coalition releases Kannada translation of seventh Western Ghats ESA draft

A coalition of organisations has brought out a Kannada translation of the seventh draft notification on the Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), pointing out that the document has so far been available only in Hindi and English.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued the draft in July, seeking comments and objections from the public. The proposed notification is intended to curb destructive activities in the ecologically fragile Western Ghats.

Karnataka accounts for the largest share of the proposed protected area, yet the draft was not released in Kannada, leaving a substantial section of the State's population without a clear picture of what it contains. The coalition said its translation is meant to close that gap.

"People are being asked to respond to a notification they cannot read," said Nirmala Gowda of Mapping Malnadu, a member of the coalition.

In Karnataka, the Directorate of Translations is tasked with rendering Central and State legislations, Acts and Rules into Kannada. Coalition members noted that although this institutional mechanism exists, the State government has not made the notification available in Kannada even more than a decade after the Kasturirangan report was published.

Since the draft was issued, there has been widespread public opposition, particularly in Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru and Uttara Kannada, where residents fear displacement and damage to their livelihoods. A coalition member alleged that vested interests are shaping the current narrative and spreading misinformation to mobilise local communities.

In response, the coalition translated the draft, had it notarised and released it publicly. "We are not interpreting or explaining anything here. People can go through the translated document and take decisions," the member said.

According to the coalition, mining falls under the prohibited red category of activities in the draft. Several politicians in the Western Ghats are associated with mining, it noted, adding that large projects such as the Sharavati pump storage project, hydel and nuclear power projects, and construction with a built-up area of 20,000 sq. m or more are also prohibited. None of these, a member said, would affect local communities, and people are being misled.

The coalition includes Bengaluru Environment Forum, Federation of Shivamogga Citizens' Welfare Forums, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Association, Friends for Future, Go Green, Green Life Shivamogga Trust, Human Rights Foundation, Jana Sangrama Parishat, Karnataka Jnana Vijnana Samiti, Karnataka Sarvodaya Mandali, N.E.C.F., Nature First, Parisara Sangama Vedike, Parisarakagi Naavu Sanghatane, Paryavarani Foundation, Rashtra Bhaktara Balaga, Saara Kendra, Sangatya, Sneha Kunja Trust, Ulivu Foundation, United Conservation Movement and Yuva Sanchalana.

This is not the first time that the absence of regional-language material before critical environmental decisions has been flagged. In August 2025, the fishing community in Keni village in Uttara Kannada demanded a Kannada translation of the draft Environmental Impact Assessment report for a proposed commercial port by JSW in the region. The English version of the draft report ran to about 600 pages, while the Kannada version was a 48-page executive summary.