MYSURU: Life is always tough for the 100 odd families living in the uneven terrains of Male Mahadeshwara Hills. And the ongoing lockdown has made it even tougher. Matchbox or tea dust, they have to travel 10-12 km through forests to buy essentials at shops near MM Hills temple or Maratahalli. With the lockdown in force, the shops are allowed to remain open only for 3 hours from 7 am and for another three hours in the evening. This is where their difficulties compound.
It takes about four hours to reach the shops, meaning they have to start early in the morning when the movements of wild animals is more. If they buy essentials in the evening, they face a similar problem in the darkness.
Without roads and public transport, connectivity has been an issue for the families living at Tulsikere, Indiganatha, Padasalanatha, Doddanne, Tekkede and Kundih. It is worse at Indiganatha, Kokkere and Kundige which do not have even proper pathways to the outside world. They depend on donkeys to transport foodgrains, manures and construction materials like cement and bricks.
The villagers pay Rs 100-150 for a trip to transport essentials from the shops. It takes them almost the whole for a return journey.“We cannot start before 9 am from our interior villages as there will be increased movements of elephants. We cannot not return in the evening because of the same reason”, said Lingaraju, a former village panchayat member of Padasulanatha.
He said the district administration should direct the forest department to supply essentials in jeeps in the absence of permission to lay motorable roads.Price rise and depleting stocks of essential items because of the restrictions is another issue they are confronting now.