BENGALURU: Facing a fund crunch for conservation efforts in the Western Ghats, the Karnataka govt is considering a monthly "green cess" of Rs 2 to Rs 3 on water bills in all corporations and town municipalities that are supplied potable water from rivers originating in the Western Ghats, reports Niranjan Kaggere.
Forest minister Eshwar Khandre on Wednesday instructed the additional chief secretary for forest, environment, and ecology to submit a proposal within a week. The funds would support projects to protect the Western Ghats, enhance green cover, purchase farmland to create animal corridors, and install railway barricades to safeguard animals.
Small cess of Rs 2 can create funds to save Ghats: Minister Khandre stressed that the funds collected will be strictly reserved for conservation. In a letter to the ACS, the minister said, "Western Ghats in Karnataka is home to Tunga, Bhadra, Cauvery, Kabini, Hemavathi, Krishna, Malaprabha and Ghataprabha rivers. We supply potable water to several cities and towns from these rivers. These will sustain our future water needs only if we protect their catchments along Western Ghats."
The minister argued that even a small cess of Rs 2 or Rs 3 could generate significant funds to conserve and safeguard the ecologically sensitive Ghats.
"This small amount could help raise public awareness about the Ghats' role in our lives, creating responsibility towards environmental conservation," he added.
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