Bangalore:
In a show of unity, members of the Karnataka Assembly cutting across party lines "unanimously" passed a resolution asking UNESCO to withdraw world heritage tag given to ten spots in Western Ghats in the state.
Assembly Speaker KG Bopaiah and Deputy N Yogish Bhat virtually led the House in decrying the "unilateral" decision of UNESCO to declare ten spots in the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats in Karnataka as World Heritage centres.
Members cutting across party lines opposed the world heritage label and urged the state government to seek annulling of the decision.
Responding to the debate on the private member resolution moved by former minister Haratalu Halappa (BJP), Minister for Forest CP Yogeshwar said the state government has not received any "official communication" from UNESCO declaring some spots as world heritage centres in Western Ghats, but the world body has announced it in its website.
Mr Yogeshwar said the state government has written at least two letters to the Centre opposing the UNESCO move and assured the House that he would lead a delegation to the Ministry of Environment and Ecology to register the state's opposition.
MP Kumaraswamy of the BJP said the legislators representing the Malnad region, which lies in Western Ghats, were prepared to resign their assembly membership if the UNESCO decision was accepted.
Mr Bopaiah, who hails from Kodagu and stridently opposing the UNESCO tag, said that for him his district was the top priority rather than his position as Speaker. He said he would opt for his district rather than the presiding officer post, which he was willing to quit if the situation warranted.
Mr Halappa urged the government to inform the UNESCO and Centre in clear terms about the state's opposition. It was backed by Mr Kumaraswamy, HK Kumaraswamy and Vasant Bangera of the JDS, and JD Naik and YN Rudresh Gowda of the Congress.
Ministers Appacchu Ranjan and DN Jeevaraj also joined the members in voicing opposition to UNESCO's decision.