CHIKKAMAGALURU: On August 9, 2019, 22 families in Channadlu village saw their lives being upended as a cloud burst in Hirebail, Mudigere taluk, caused huge landslides. However, three years on, the residents are yet to recover from the shock. The DC at the time, Bagadi Gautam, had announced that the entire Channadlu would be shifted to a safer place, and also promised compensation of Rs 5 lakh to each household. He had also announced to provide rent for the residents, until the relocation is completed. This had kindled a ray of hope and support to the distraught residents for the moment.
However, owing to the apathy of officials, the promises remain unfulfilled till date. Tears and hope in the eyes of the residents, who lost everything, including their loved ones, have dried up now. The district administration had decided on government land, 15 km away, at Kumbaladike near Kalasa, for the relocation. However, the villagers refused to shift to a distant place, leaving behind small patches of coffee plantations and livestock. Instead, they identified land near Odinakudige and were persistent to relocate there, defying the district administration’s offer of Rs 1 lakh compensation to those who did not build their houses there at once.
MLA MP Kumaraswamy aided the hapless victims to get the 2.20 acres of land sanctioned, a procedure which took two years. The residents had to endure another 6-month-long wait to acquire permission from the forest department, and three months more for the land to be levelled.
Even after enduring the tiresome struggle to relocate, the residents face another impending issue. They, who had laid the foundation for new houses, are now struggling to get title deeds for the sites under Rajiv Gandhi Vasati Yojana, which is required to get grants in the rain-affected areas. The villagers are in a limbo, as the construction is stalled due to procedural wrangles.