Kasturirangan row turns political as Karnataka urged to follow Kerala model

Bengaluru, Sept 19 (UNI) The Kasturirangan report on the Western Ghats is fast emerging as another flashpoint in Karnataka's Centre-State and Congress-BJP political contest, with demands growing for a Kerala-style state-level expert panel to establish the ground realities before any further move on the contentious recommendations. While the Karnataka government has opposed implementation of the recommendations citing concerns of farmers and residents in the Western Ghats, the issue has also become a political battleground, with the ruling Congress and BJP trading charges over the Centre's stand and the State's handling of the matter. Amid the political exchanges, a key question…