Claiming that the rehabilitation of tribal families evicted from Devamachi Reserve Forest range in Diddalli of Kodagu district has reached the logical end, Minister for Planning and Statistics M.R. Seetharam on Monday accused former MLA A.K. Subbaiah of “misguiding” tribals.
Speaking to mediapersons, the Minister claimed that while the State government was making sincere attempts to put an end to the matter, Mr. Subbaiah was misguiding the tribals by promising to get the land allocated for cultivation.
He said the process of rehabilitation has begun by identifying and allocating sites in Basavanahalli, Siddapura and Madalapura villages, but Mr. Subbaiah and other NGOs were misguiding people by promising them land for cultivation. Meanwhile, he alleged, BJP leaders including Appachu Ranjan and K.G. Bopaiah were opposing rehabilitation of tribals in their areas.
Sites have been allocated to more than 750 tribal people, but local political leaders are intentionally “creating unnecessary problems” to jeopardise the process, he said.
Mr. Seetharam appealed to tribal families to occupy the sites allocated to them and build houses with the sum of ₹4 lakh being given by the government.
