Court officials, armed with attachment orders of a court in Srirangapatna, barged into the office of the Deputy Conservator of Forests and pulled out photocopy machines, tables and chairs, cupboards, fans and other movable property and seized them along with the official car of the Deputy Conservator K. Kamala.
The court officials had come along with six farmers of Srirangapatna, whose land was acquired to establish different facilities including a road to the Ranganathittu bird sanctuary. The Forest Department had failed to give additional compensation despite repeated directions from the court, according to officials of the court and the farmers. According to farmers E. Umesh, Ramesh, the department had acquired 3.10 acres in 1966, 3.16 acres in 1977, 4.21 acres in 1977 and 4.21 acres in 2001 and 3.20 acres in 2008 from the six farmers but failed to adequately compensate them. They said that the department had acquired their land promising compensation. When they approached the court, the department was directed to pay additional compensation of Rs. 1.76 crore to the farmers. But it failed to do so.Ms. Kamala told The Hindu that the Assistant Commissioner of Pandavapura had acquired the land for the department and the compensation to the farmers had been paid as per the rate fixed by the Assistant Commissioner.
The farmers had approached the court which in turn directed the department to pay an additional compensation and senior forest officials had brought this to the notice of the higher-ups in the department. Top officials of the department had approached the Revenue Secretary, who sought clarification from the legal cell, which urged for an appeal before the High Court. Preparations are underway to appeal before the High Court in this regard, Ms. Kamala said.
