Vinay Kumar Sorake, Urban Development Minister, said on Saturday that the people of Hebri village and its surroundings need not be worried about the tiger reserve coming up in Kudremukh National Park (KNP).
He was speaking after inaugurating various development work under the Gramodaya Scheme and the Rajiv Gandhi Seva Centre at Hebri village in Udupi district.
Mr. Sorake said that the Union government had given its nod for a tiger reserve tag for the park.
But he would not allow the implementation of the tiger reserve there. “Hence the people of the villages need not be frightened of the tiger reserve,” he said.
People mislead
Mr. Sorake said that some people with vested interests had been misleading the people on the implementation of the K. Kasturirangan Panel’s Report on the Western Ghats here. But he had visited all the villages coming under the panel’s Report and accepted the people’s petitions. Based on these petitions, the State government had submitted a report to the Centre urging it to include only reserve forests and wildlife areas as “natural landscapes,” he said.
As many as 64 gram panchayats in the State would be converted into town panchayats. An announcement to this effect would be made before the declaration of the gram panchayat elections.
Priority would be given to completing the Multi-Village Scheme and setting up of a junior college in Hebri. As many as 100 houses would be constructed for the poor people in Chara village, Mr. Sorake said. Vadiraja Shetty welcomed the gathering. Suma N. Adyanthaya, president of Hebri Gram Panchayat presided over the function. Vijaya Kumari, president of Karkala Taluk Panchayat, Gopal Bhandary, former MLA, and others were present.
