Residents of Kottagudi, an area located on the Western Ghats near Bodinayakanur, staged a protest against the district administration and attempted to prevent demolition of areas deemed as encroachments here on Friday.
Officials arrived earlier in the day to the village to pull down the encroachments so that a primary health centre (PHC) could be built in the village. However, most of the residents who are members of a tribal community, opposed the demolition of their houses which they say was now being regarded as encroachments. The residents said that they had lived in the forest area for several years and were dependent on the ecosystem for survival. They had expanded their community over time and had hence built houses there to ensure that their families could live there too.
The protesters sat in front of the bulldozers with their children, seeking a meeting with the district administration regarding the removal of encroachments.
After representatives from both sides discussed potential solutions, another site was identified by the villagers and approved by the district administration for the construction of the PHC.
