Western Ghats draft is in Hindi and English only. A coalition has now released a Kannada translation
A coalition of environmental and citizens' organisations has published a Kannada translation of the seventh draft notification on the Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), pointing out that the document was otherwise available to the public only in Hindi and English.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued the draft in July and invited comments and objections from the public. The notification proposes to restrict a range of activities in the ecologically fragile Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot spanning six States and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Karnataka accounts for the largest share of the proposed protected area, yet the draft was not issued in Kannada. The coalition says this has left a large section of the State's residents unable to read a document that directly concerns their land, livelihoods and surroundings.
"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 responsible for translating Central and State legislation, Acts and Rules into Kannada. Coalition members said that despite this institutional mechanism, the notification had not been made available in Kannada even more than a decade after the Kasturirangan report on the Western Ghats was submitted in 2013.
Since the draft was published, there has been widespread public opposition to it, particularly in Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru and Uttara Kannada, where residents fear displacement and a loss of livelihood. A coalition member said the prevailing narrative was being shaped by "vested interests" spreading misinformation to mobilise local communities. This claim could not be independently verified.
In response, the coalition translated the draft notification, had the translation notarised and made it publicly available. "We are not interpreting or explaining anything here. People can go through the translated document and take decisions," a member said.
According to the draft, mining falls in the prohibited red category of activities. Several politicians in the region have links to mining, the coalition noted. Also prohibited are large projects such as the Sharavati pump storage project, hydel and nuclear power projects, and construction projects with a built-up area of 20,000 sq. m or more. A coalition member said these restrictions would not affect local communities, and that residents were being misguided.
Other members of the coalition include the 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 information in the regional language 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. While the English version of that draft report ran to about 600 pages, the Kannada version was a 48-page executive summary.
