Revenue Officials to conduct survey of Kas for Illegal Constructions
The Ministry of Environment & Forests has prepared a nomination dossier for the inscription of 39 sites in the Western Ghats on the World Heritage list. Of the 39 sites, four, including the Kas plateau, are in the Sahyadri (Maharashtra) range. Better connectivity to the plateau has resulted into huge number of visitors flocking the plateau, careless handling of plants and flowers and littering which is a serious threat to the biodiversity.
District collector N Ramaswami has asked revenue officials a report on the Kas plateau area for identifying illegal constructions and instructed the officials to set up a check post of forest and police departments. The officials have been told to send notices to owners through the gram panchayat.
Satara is located in the western part of Maharashtra.The whole of Satara district falls within the Deccan area. It is bounded by Pune district to the north. Since the plateau is located at a height of more than one thousand meters above the sea level, no developmental construction is allowed. The district administration has also sought information on how many properties are used for residential purpose on a regular basis. This development is viewed as a step towards recognizing Kas plateau as a no-development zone.
State forest minister Patangrao Kadam recently made an announcement to provide Rs 8 crore for conservation and protection of the Kas plateau. The flowers, with variety of colours grow during the monsoon, are a major attraction of the plateau that attracts tourists from places like Mumbai and Kolhapur.
With the increasing number of visitors every year, the district administration has undertaken some initiatives like gathering data of constructions at the plateau, preparing modified tourism plan with help from the state town planning department and setting up check posts of forest department among others. Besides providing parking facilities with support of local villagers, the district collector has also sought suggestion to classify the Kas plateau either as green or yellow zone. Ramaswami has asked to prepare a report on these issues pertaining to Kas plateau. The district administration has also decided to push for Rs 5 crore funding for Kas plateau development during the cabinet meet scheduled to discuss tourism development at Kas.
Times of India
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