Bengaluru: Reiterating its opposition to the implementation of the Kasturirangan report recommendations on saving the eco-sensitive zone in the Western Ghats, the State Cabinet has decided to urge the Union government to withdraw its third notification on the report.

Karnataka has been opposing the report consistently and had filed its objections after the report was notified for the third time on February 27, 2017.

At a Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday, it was decided that the State would urge the Centre to withdraw the notificationsaid Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra.

The report’s recommendations, if implemented, would impact the lives of lakhs of people. The report seeks to declare 1,576 villages in 10 districts —Belagavi, Chikkamagaluru, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu, Hassan, Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Mysuru and Shivamogga — as falling under the eco-sensitive zone. Legislators cutting across party lines and the gram panchayats representing the 10 districts have unanimously opposed the report.

The declaration of an eco-sensitive zone would lead to banning of sand extraction, quarrying and development activities such as construction of schools, hospitals and group housing in the area, the Minister said.