Western Ghats Committees Madhav Gadgil Committee Report on the Western Ghats – 2011 The Gadgil Commission, established for environmental research, is named after its chairman, Madhav Gadgil. This commission is formally known as the 'Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel' (WGEEP). The commission submitted its report to the Government of India on August 31, 2011. Recommendations of the Gadgil Committee: The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) declared the entire mountain range as an 'Ecologically Sensitive Area' (ESA). In its report, the committee classified the 142 taluks situated within the boundaries of the Western Ghats into Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZ) 1, 2, and 3. Since the ESZ-1 zone was considered to be of the highest priority, almost all types of developmental activities (such as mining, thermal power plants, etc.) were restricted within this zone. The Gadgil Report recommended that no permission should be granted for any new large-scale water storage dams within ecologically sensitive zones. The Gadgil Committee Report emphasized that the current framework for environmental governance must be overhauled. Instead of a 'top-down' approach, it called for a 'bottom-up' approach. Furthermore, it recommended the decentralization of power and the granting of greater authority to local self-governing bodies. The Committee recommended the establishment of a statutory body—the 'Western Ghats Ecology Authority' (WGEA)—to function under the aegis of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. The Kasturirangan Committee (2013) on the Western Ghats The Kasturirangan Committee was constituted to review the report submitted by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP). This committee is frequently referred to as the 'High-Level Working Group.' This refers to the 10-member High-Level Working Group (HLWG) headed by Kasturirangan. Recommendations of the Kasturirangan Committee Report According to the Kasturirangan Report, rather than encompassing the entire geographical expanse of the Western Ghats, only 37% of the region…
