MANGALURU: The Karnataka Forest Department has evicted a family residing inside Kudremukh National Park for encroaching 4.94 acres of forest land in Naravi Reserve Forest at Arasinamakkie near Malavanthige village in Belthangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada district.
According to Belthangady Range Forest Officer Sarmishta, who led the drive, the eviction was carried out by following due procedures as per law. “Final notice was issued a fortnight ago. They tried to bring a court stay on eviction, but in vain. On the day of eviction, they themselves evicted the house,” Sarmishta said, adding that after destroying the plantation, the Forest Department planted saplings, dug up trenches, and erected a board stating that the land has been reclaimed.
The officer said the father of PT Joseph (whose family was evicted) had managed to get an illegal grant of the forest land which was cancelled by the Puttur Assistant Commissioner in 2004. She said the family does not have any records to prove that they have been living there for 50 years, and all they have is a grant cancellation record. “It is a pure encroachment, and there is a question of compensation,” added the officer.
According to sources, Joseph’s father had settled there over 50 years ago, and in 1997, the State Government had issued a title deed for 4.9 acres under the Akrama Sakrama (regularisation) scheme. However, after the area was declared part of Kudremukh National Park, the family’s ownership came under dispute.
In 2004, the department cancelled their title deed, though the family was assured at the time that they would not be evicted forcibly due to the Naxal crisis in the region.
Despite this assurance, the Forest Department served Joseph with a notice asking him to vacate the land in 2014. His appeals were rejected over the years, and a final notice was issued on October 11 this year directing him to leave by October 30.
“I came here as a child and have lived here my whole life. The government itself gave us the title deed. Now, without any compensation, they’ve thrown us out. We have no house or land left,” he rued.
Social activist Shekhar Layila condemned the government’s action, recalling that the state had once promised not to evict forest dwellers forcibly. “When the Naxal problem was at its peak, the government pledged to protect people living inside the forest. Now, when peace has returned, they are being uprooted. This is inhumane. The government must immediately compensate and rehabilitate the family,” he said.
‘No funds for relocation’
Deputy Conservator of Forests, Kudremukh National Park, Shivaram Babu said that 1,350 families stay inside the national park of which 650 have agreed to the voluntary relocation programme. The Forest Department has so far compensated and relocated 350 families. There is a need of Rs 300 crore for relocating and rehabilitating the remaining 300 families, Babu said. “It is a strange situation here. People are keen to come out, but there are no funds to relocate them. Applications have been pending for decades.
Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre has said that he would talk to the Union Government to get funds under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority,” he said.
Trustee of Wildlife First and former member of National Board for Wildlife Praveen Bhargav said, “The demand of the local people for quick resettlement from Kudremukh National Park is very valid and must be resolved. However, asking for the capture of elephants is untenable, as national parks are the last refugia for endangered species and occupy less than 1% of India’s landscape. Such demands to capture tigers and elephants from within national parks and tiger reserves is completely unacceptable. The Forest Minister, who is very proactive on many issues, must take decisive steps to create a Special Purpose Vehicle for implementation of the voluntary resettlement projects,” he added.
(With inputs from Bengaluru)
