Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa took exception to the opposition to tribal rehabilitation proposed at Basavanahalli near Kushalnagar and opined that there were forces keen to keep the tribes primitive and hinder their development.
He was speaking to presspersons after visiting Basavanahalli, Madalapura, Byadgott, and Kedamulluru in Kodagu district on Sunday. The Minister said the government was prepared to rehabilitate them in these places and invest funds to provide them with shelter and other amenities in a bid to bring them to the mainstream.
“Yet, there were people inimical to their development and are opposing the rehabilitation plans at Basavanahalli and it is time for the tribal community themselves to be aware that they cannot remain backward,” Mr. Thimmappa said. The Minister claimed that Basavanahalli was ideal for tribal rehabilitation and tourism development in the region will throw up job opportunities for the local community.
Mr. Thimmappa said the government will wait to see if the evacuees of Diddahalli agree to their rehabilitation at the newly identified places and will issue them allotment letter within a week if they give their consent. But a meeting has also been convened in Bengaluru on April 19 and it will be chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, he added.
The officials were also directed to assess the number of tribal communities in the district and prepare a database on the number of beneficiaries under the Forest Rights Act.
In reply to a question, the Minister said though the tribal communities were issued RTC, they had not taken up tilling or agricultural activity but refuted suggestions that it was sold.
The Minister intervened and said the beneficiaries cannot lease or sell the land and had to take up agricultural activity themselves for which the government will release subsidy to procure agricultural equipment besides training them.
Later, the Minister held a review meeting with the Revenue Department officials and instructed that sites be allotted to the beneficiaries and the shelterless in the district within a week. The officials were directed to assess the homeless in their respective gram panchayat jurisdictions and take steps to allot sites within a month. Mr. Thimmappa warned the officials that in case they delayed the completion of the exercise within a month they would face the consequences.
On the disposal of Akrama Sakrama applications for regularisation of illegal constructions, the Minister directed that meetings be held once a week to clear the pending applications which he said was highest from Somwarpet taluk.
Mr. Thimmappa also directed the officials to identify plantation owners with large tracts of land and if possible efforts would be made to acquire and distribute land to the poor.
