MADIKERI: Over 800 coffee plants and several cardamom plants grown across government land were evicted by the forest department in the Somwarpet region. The incident has evoked anger among the grower community in Somwarpet, who threaten to intensify their struggle against the forest department.
“Over 35 years ago, my father, Kaalachanda Naniyappa had cleared the paisari land of about three acres at Mukkodlu limits and had cultivated the land with coffee and cardamom. Recently, as several coffee plants had worn out, he took up re-plantation work and had sown new coffee plants,” explained Kaushi, daughter of 70-year-old Naniyappa.
She added that the estate was readied on paisari land, and the survey number does not fall under the forest department. “Despite the land being paisari and not forest area, over 10 people who claimed to be from the forest department trespassed into our estate and destroyed all the crops,” she alleged.
According to her, over 800 coffee plants, alongside yielding cardamom crops, have been destroyed. “My father’s hard work of over three decades has been razed within an hour by the department officials. No notices were served and we did not apply for any lease as the land is ‘paisari’ and not forest land,” she explained.
The elderly grower, who lives with his ailing wife, is now in a dilemma as he has suffered huge financial losses in the process. From labour charges to cultivation costs, he has lost his livelihood, which has evoked the anger of other growers in the region.
However, the concerned RFO of Madikeri Forest Division confirmed that the elderly grower had encroached on the sacred grove, which is a notified forest area. “The grower has cut several trees in the sacred grove area and we have to file a case against him. We had warned him not to cut trees. Despite that, he has cleared the sacred grove. Since he is an elderly person, we carried out only the eviction process and have not booked him for the same,” the officer confirmed. He added that the cleared area falls under Bellacchu Sacred Grove forest area.
As per the survey details given by owner Naniyappa, however, the RTC shows that survey number 33/2 in Mukkodlu region is paisari government land that has been granted to him.
Meanwhile, members of the Raitha Horata Samithi of Somwarpet taluk gathered at the evicted area and declared they would intensify their fight against the forest department, claiming that the department is snatching away the livelihood of small growers.