Gadgil was a man of compassion, remembers V.S. Vijayan

Ecologist V.S. Vijayan, a long-time subordinate of Madhav Gadgil, remembers him arsenic a antheral of emotion and compassion.

Mr. Vijayan’s relation with Gadgil, which began mode backmost successful 1975, went connected to go a idiosyncratic bonding implicit the past fractional century. It was further fortified erstwhile Mr. Vijayan, a erstwhile chairperson of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board, was appointed arsenic a subordinate of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel led by Gadgil.

“Gadgil Saab, arsenic I fondly called him, rooted his attack successful subject and ecology. He ne'er went aft immoderate governmental enactment oregon politicians, and ever chose to aerial his views frankly and fearlessly. He stood by his views and dared to talk out, nevertheless unpalatable they were for others. Yet, helium was afloat of emotion for others,” Mr. Vijayan said.

“I met Gadgil Saab for the archetypal clip successful Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary successful Mysore. He was coming with his girl Myna sitting connected his shoulder, and his woman pursuing him. Later, I met him astatine the Centre for Ecological Sciences astatine the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, wherever we discussed projects for the plan of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve astatine that time,” helium remembered.

“The adjacent important task successful which we worked unneurotic was the WGEEP report. The sheet was formed by Jairam Ramesh, the past Union Minister for Environment and Forest. Gadgil led the 14-member committee successful which I was besides a member. We did existent hard enactment and produced the study by 2012. Unfortunately, the study was shelved for immoderate time,” helium said.

Later, the Ministry appointed a high-level committee led by Kasthurirangan to study connected however to instrumentality the recommendations of the panel. The Kasthurirangan sheet suggested wholly antithetic recommendations and argued that 73% of the Western Ghats should beryllium kept for improvement and the remaining 27% arsenic a protected area, helium said.

Gadgil was unhappy astir the mode successful which the sheet study was sabotaged and misrepresented successful States similar Kerala. He took a decisive enactment relation successful the ecological conservation aspects of Kerala, Mr. Vijayan pointed out.