---
title: "Shivamogga Cooperatives to Protest Draft ESA Notification"
url: https://projectchintan.com/article/shivamogga-protests-draft-esa-notification-11e85
publisher: Project Chintan
author: Project Chintan Newsroom
section: Politics
published: 2026-08-14T13:30:13.380Z
modified: 2026-08-14T16:00:07.125Z
language: en-IN
---

# Shivamogga Cooperatives to Protest Draft ESA Notification

Cooperative societies in Shivamogga are organizing protests against the Union Ministry's draft notification designating parts of the Western Ghats as Ecologically Sensitive Areas. Concerns include restrictions on agriculture, construction, and daily life for local populations.

## Key takeaways

- Cooperative societies in Shivamogga are protesting a draft notification designating 20,668 sq.km of the Western Ghats as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA).
- Residents have until September 26 to submit objections to the notification, which impacts 473 villages in Shivamogga district.
- Protesters express concerns about restrictions on agriculture, construction, and daily activities, and allege the supporting report lacked ground verification.
- Organizers plan protest marches across Shivamogga taluks and a mega rally in October to raise public awareness and encourage objections.

Cooperative society representatives in Shivamogga have announced a campaign to oppose a draft notification that designates 20,668 sq.km of the Western Ghats as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA). The notification, issued for the seventh time by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on July 27, is based on recommendations from a committee led by K. Kasturirangan. Residents have until September 26 to submit objections.

The proposed ESA includes 473 villages within Shivamogga district, out of a total of 1,449 villages. M.R. Manjunath Gowda, president of the Shivamogga District Cooperative Central Bank and chairperson of the Malnad Area Development Authority, stated that local communities are against the notification. He indicated that objections would be filed again, similar to previous instances, under the banner of the Western Ghats Cooperative Farmers’ Forum of Shivamogga district.

Protest marches are planned in Hosanagara, Sagar, Tirthahalli, Shivamogga, and Shikaripur taluks, beginning on August 29 in Hosanagara. A large rally is scheduled for October in Shivamogga to rally support for filing objections.

Concerns cited by Gowda include potential restrictions on agricultural practices, such as the use of medicines for crops like areca, and the enforced adoption of organic farming. Residents also anticipate difficulties in undertaking construction projects like laying roads and building houses.

Additionally, a Congress leader, B.R. Jayant, described the notification as turning villages into "open prisons" and alleged that the Kasturirangan committee report was based solely on aerial surveys without ground verification or local consultation. He suggested that aerial surveys might misclassify agricultural lands, such as areca plantations, as forest areas.

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Canonical: https://projectchintan.com/article/shivamogga-protests-draft-esa-notification-11e85
Reported from: Multiple Sources