“We are ready to vacate the area, but provide us an alternative site.”
This was the vociferous plaint of the people displaced after their dwellings in Virpapur Gadda island in Tungabhadra of Gangavati taluk were razed by the Forest Department.
A drive to clear encroachment on 30 acres of forest land in survey no. 49 was launched on the island. Around 80 dwellings, said to have come up illegally, some with extensions such as cottage/rooms and restaurants, were razed.
“The only homes we had were demolished by the department officials. Now, we are spending days and nights in the open, rain or shine, with our children,” said Dharmamma, one of those evicted. For the past five days, they have been living among debris, with no place to cook or sleep.
On Saturday, when this correspondent visited the site, most men were away to take part in an agitation launched to demand alternative living space. None was at the site, except a few lactating mothers and their infants.
“We have been residing in the Janata houses for over four decades. All of a sudden, we were evicted. We will go only if alternative sites are provided to us. But, the response from the authorities has been disappointing. To mount pressure on the authorities concerned and also to have our demands met, our people have been staging an agitation,” Anusha, another resident said.
Near Hampi heritage site
This area falls within the jurisdiction of the Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority. The eviction drive followed a court order of the Dharwad High Court bench. A few structures in the area have escaped demolition following a stay order. At the agitation site on Hulgi-Anegundi Road, Forest Department officials met the agitators, but said it was not possible to provide alternative land because there was no such provision.
