MADIKERI: Kodagu is home to over 12,000 Jenukuruba Tribes who are primitive residents staying by the forest fringes. The tribes have been battling since Independence to obtain rights for forest land and several have received the rights to the land following decades of fighting. However, basic facilities are still a distant dream to the majority tribes and the tribal settlement at Hunasepare in Somwarpet taluk narrates the ordeal of the Jenukurubas.
It was nearly three decades ago that 12 Jenukuruba families received rights to the land at Hunasepare located by the fringe of the Yadavanadu-Hudugaru Reserve Forest area.
Thatch houses that were built then still lack proper facilities. Electricity and toilet facilities have been a distant dream for three decades and the residents including Raghu, Yashodha and others alleged that their requests for a decent living go unaddressed by the officials.
The tribes defecate in forests and they plead with several shopkeepers to provide them a charging point for their mobile phones. The lives of these people are also at risk because of the wildlife attacks.
“There are several Jenukuruba settlements that are devoid of basic facilities. The community lacks leadership and voice. Our voices do not reach the authorities,” shared Jenukurubara T Kalinga, one of the tribal leaders. He shared that the Jenukurubara Sangha is now striving towards voicing the problems of the community. “Shortly, we will meet the CCF of the forest department and other concerned officials and demand that a census be conducted across the Jenu Kuruba settlements. The census will determine the lack of facilities in these settlements and we will urge the authorities to extend basic facilities,” he added.
Meanwhile, the district ITDP Officer, Honnegowda confirmed, “Majority of the settlements have electricity and other facilities. However, in a few settlements toilets have to be built under the NREGA project and this will be done in phases by the concerned panchayat. Electric connections in some settlements have met with hurdles due to permissions from the forest department and this will be sorted out shortly.”