Dwellers prefer the forest

Barely one-third of those identified wanted to leave homes

Less than six per cent of the identified households living within the Kudremukh National Park limits have been rehabilitated outside the forest by the government.

Furthermore, based on the applications received by the Kudremukh Wildlife Division, Karkala, barely one-third of the forest dwellers have expressed interest to leave their houses and accept the package offered by the State government.

Out of 1,372 families living in the park limits in the districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Chikmagalur, just around 398 applications have been received. Of these, just 79 households — 42 of them in Belthangady, 32 in Sringeri and just 15 in Karkala taluks — have been rehabilitated since the package was announced nearly a decade ago, said KNP officials.

Officials have said their offer was better received in Belthangady taluk in Dakshina Kannada, where around 98 households had sought the package, while it received lukewarm response from Karkala taluk of Udupi district, where just 15 were received.

“In the forests in Karkala taluk, most of the families are in places like Uthlapady, which is almost like a township with all facilities available. Whereas, in Belthangady taluk, the families are scattered and deprived of utilities like power, telephone connection, and road access,” said an official.

The Hindu has reported that the villages of Kuthlur and Naravi in Belthangady taluk are divided over the issue. While many said they will accept the package if compensation is given according to the valuation of their property, others, including 70-year-old Mutthaiah Malekudiya have opposed the concept entirely.

Moreover, organisations have taken offence to NGOs — including Wildlife Conservation Society that has rehabilitated 33 families in Dakshina Kannada and 12 families in Udupi — aiding the rehabilitation process.

“We don’t understand why private organisations are taking interest in displacing tribals. The issue is between tribals and the government. Why hire middlemen to displace them?” said Shekhar L., President of the Karnataka Adivasi Rights Coordination Committee.

During a recent visit to the KNP, environmentalist Madhav Gadgil had called the eviction — even if it is through enticement in the form of a rehabilitation package — as “unconstitutional” and a violation of the Forest Rights Act. B. Ramanath Rai, Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment, said the package was not being forced upon and was entirely voluntary.