Sahyadri Summit on the lines of Earth Summit to be held this year

Proposal made at meet in Bangalore on Tuesday

Website to be launched to widen campaign

— Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

Green group: Environmentalists Pandurang Hegde and Sudhirendra Sharma (seated) at a meeting Bangalore on Tuesday on ‘Future of the Western Ghats’.

Bangalore: In a bid to rejuvenate the 27-year-old Save Western Ghats campaign, a group of environmentalists are preparing to hold a Sahyadri Summit on the lines of the Earth Summit, later this year.

The proposal was evolved during a meeting held in Bangalore on Tuesday of a group of environmentalists who participated in the Save Western Ghats campaign during mid-1980s. The summit is likely to be held during the end of the year.

Pandurang Hegde, an activist of the Appiko-Chipko Andolan, said a new approach different from earlier movements would have to be adopted for saving the Western Ghats in a market-economy-oriented scenario.

He pointed out that “if the spate of mindless development, in the disguise of economic growth, is any indication, the very ethos of the Western Ghats Development Programme (WGDP) launched in 1981 under the special areas programme of Union Government seems to have been laid to rest”.

“Four guiding principles of the WGDP — maintenance of ecological balance, preservation of genetic diversity, restoration of ecological damage and creating awareness about eco-restoration — were being ignored in the relentless dam-, rail- and road-building works and the creation of special economic zones,” Mr. Hegde said.

Sudhirendra Sharma, an environmentalist who brought out a status report on the Western Ghats after travelling through the 1,600-km stretch from Maharashtra to Tamil Nadu two years ago, stressed the need for fresh efforts to protect what was left in the Sahyadri range.

Oxygen trade

Mr. Sharma said trading in oxygen on the lines of carbon trading would be a reality in future.

“The Sahyadris virtually act as the oxygen-generating unit for the entire country. Also, the value of oxygen generated from the Western Ghats is much higher than the country’s budget. When everything is market- and economy-oriented, there is nothing wrong for trading this natural oxygen,” said Mr. Sharma.

Even individuals who helped preserve such ecological resources should be paid for oxygen supply, Mr. Sharma said.

Website planned

On the Sahyadri Summit, Mr. Sharma said a website would be launched in March to gather people’s opinions, intensify the Save Western Ghats campaign worldwide and attract international attention.