Panduranga Hegde

Panduranga Hegde is an environmentalist from Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka, India and is known as the person who started Appiko movement to protect trees in Western Ghats.

Birth and early life

Panduranga Hegde was born in 1956 in Uttara Kannada District, Karnataka and studied bachelor's degree at Karnatak University. He worked as Chartered Accountant at Delhi and later trained himself in Social work at Delhi School of Social Work^[1] and spent four years in Madhya Pradesh among rural people with Damoh, a non government organisation. He was attracted by Chipko movement led by Sundarlal Bahuguna and got involved with protection of forests and environment.^[2]

Appiko movement

Panduranga Hegde is inspired by Sundarlal Bahuguna in the area of environmental protection and is known as disciple of the latter.^[3] During the 1980s,^[4] Panduraga Hegde led people to protect trees in forest by embracing the trees or appiko (as in local language Kannada) when the contractors tried to fell trees.

Later activities

• Involved in creating people awareness against the dangers of radiation near Kaiga nuclear plant established in Karnataka.^[3]
• Filed a case in Supreme Court of India against felling of trees in Western Ghats for construction of railway line.^[5]
• He has been opposing high rise dams constructed for hydroelectrical production, in view of environmental damage.^[6]
• Panduranga Hegde is recording the biodiversity of Western Ghats for past several years.^[6]
• He is actively involved in Save Western Ghats campaign.^[7]
• The traditional knowledge of tribes like Siddis are studied and propagated by Panduranga Hegde for conservation of environment.^[8]
• He was instrumental in releasing Western Ghats Manifesto before 15th Loksabha election, so as to commit the candidates competing for election towards holistic policies to conserve the Western Ghats.^[9]
• He also joined hands with Bangalore-based Kenneth Anderson Nature Society to protest against Gundia Hydel Power Project and alleged that the project is illegal as it destroys more than 700 hectares of thick forests.^[10]

See also

• Sundarlal Bahuguna
• Ananth Hegde Ashisara

References

1. Environmental Biology. Environmental Biology. Rastogi Publications. pp. 220–221. ISBN 9788171337491.
2. "Pandurang Hegde". Ashoka India. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
3. Srinivasaraju, Sugatha (14 February 2005). "Once there was a river". Outlook India. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
4. S, Rajendran (7 May 2012). "Marginal rise in Karnataka Forest Cover a Refreshng Change". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
5. Correspondent (5 May 2012). "Haveri-Sirsi line to be opposed only if it is harmful to environment". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
6. TOI, Mobile. "Forests cannot hold out". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
7. Nandi, Jayashree (8 December 2012). "Warming taking toll on Western Ghats". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
8. Nandi, Jayashree (18 May 2009). "Siddis to the rescue of trees". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
9. "Green manifesto movement". The Times of India. 5 April 2009. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
10. "Gundia hydel power project is illegal, its impact catastrophic: protesters". The Times of India on mobile. 25 May 2009. Retrieved 7 October 2012.