Residents of Bilinele village in Dakshina Kannada have unanimously opposed the implementation of an eco-sensitive area based on the Kasturirangan Report, saying the proposed restrictions could affect agriculture, land, house construction, repairs and other livelihood activities.
The decision was taken at a special gram sabha held at the Bilinele Gram Panchayat hall in Subrahmanya. A resolution presented on behalf of the villagers called for the Kasturirangan Report-based rules not to be implemented in the village and urged authorities not to impose restrictions affecting land, farming, housing or livelihoods at the local level.
Residents expressed concern that implementation of the report could limit activities connected with cultivation and land use, as well as the construction and repair of houses. The resolution reflects the village’s opposition to being brought under the proposed eco-sensitive area framework on the basis of the report.
Bilinele Gram Panchayat administrator Chaluvarangappa, Subrahmanya Range Forest Officer Chetan, Kadaba taluk Panch Guarantees Scheme Implementation Committee chairman Sudhir Kumar Shetty, Agricultural Credit Cooperative Society president Vadyappa Gowda and Panchayat Development Officer Chandravathi attended the gram sabha, according to Prajavani.
The village-level resolution asks that Bilinele be excluded from the Kasturirangan Report-based area. It also states that restrictions affecting the village’s land, agriculture, homes and livelihoods should not be imposed. The resolution was adopted unanimously by the villagers present at the special gram sabha.
The meeting’s decision places the next step with the relevant higher authorities. The gram sabha resolved to submit the resolution to those authorities and request that Bilinele be kept outside the area governed by rules based on the Kasturirangan Report.
The dispute brings a local land-use concern into the administrative process surrounding environmental protection in the Western Ghats. For residents, the issue is not limited to forest or conservation boundaries; it also involves how environmental rules may affect existing farms, homes and everyday economic activity. The resolution records the village’s position before the matter is presented to higher authorities.
No decision by the higher authorities on the request to exclude Bilinele was reported in the material available. The immediate official step is the submission of the gram sabha resolution to the concerned authorities for consideration.
