BENGALURU: The Centre has assured time-bound action to release Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) funds for relocation of farmers affected by elephant raids in eight villages of Hettur hobli, Sakleshpur taluk in Hassan district. Frequent raids in these villages have not only claimed people’s lives, but also destroyed crops several times.
Union Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation D V Sadananda Gowda told Express that within a fortnight he will meet Union Minister of Environment and Forests Dr Harsh Vardhan to discuss the issue in detail. “I will also talk to the district in-charge minister to ensure that the long-pending demand of farmers is met. I had mooted this project as chief minister but somehow its implementation got delayed,” said the Union Minister.
Hassan district in-charge Minister A Manju said that he will be going to Delhi in the first week of December. “The CAMPA funds are already there. We just need the Centre’s permission to use it for a project that involves purchasing of farmers’ land. For farmers, it is difficult to live in the corridor area.”
“Release of funds will permanently solve the problem of farmers who are living near Western Ghats and are frequently affected by elephant raids. As per our assessment, the project needs at least `450 crore,” said Devraj Attihally, president of Hassan Wildlife Society and a farmer affected by frequent elephant raids.
The issue of relocation of 150 farmers living in one of the longest elephant corridor routes has remained unresolved for almost a decade now.