Families that were displaced by the Sharavathi hydel power project and spent 57 years without basic amenities at Shettihalli and Chitra Shettihalli villages, which come under Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary limits, are now preparing for another exodus, thanks to landslips and the continued government apathy towards their plight.
As many as 151 families in the twin villages were displaced thanks to the construction of the reservoir at Linganamakki, and they were rehabilitated here in 1962. Shettihalli is 16 km away from Shivamogga city.
In 1976, the region was declared a wildlife sanctuary. Following this declaration, permission was denied for civic works such as asphalting of roads and drawing electricity lines to provide power. The residents staged a series of protests for power connection and even boycotted the 1998 Lok Sabha elections, but their demands remained unfulfilled.
One solar lamp provided to each family by Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd. is now the only source of light for many of the houses. A few affluent families have electrified their houses by installing rooftop solar panels. As the village has thick forest cover, low-light conditions prevail for most parts of the year, and it is not possible to run gadgets such as washing machines, grinders and refrigerators with solar energy.
However, the determination and grit of the people here to continue living despite the harsh climate and official apathy received a jolt when a landslip took place in Jedigudda hill in their vicinity in the last week of August. The landslip, caused by heavy rain, left wide cracks on the surface of Jedigudda. A large number of trees reached the ground and slush flowed along the stream that takes birth in Jedigudda and passes through the village.
Ramappa, a resident of Shettihalli, told The Hindu that the landslip left the residents panicked. As the twin villages have remained deprived of basic amenities and the region is vulnerable to calamities, the residents want to shift elsewhere, he said.
Many of them had staged a demonstration in Shivamogga city recently demanding that the district administration shift both villages to the vacant government land near Govindapura and Puradal villages in Shivamogga taluk.
Ajay Kumar Sharma, an environmentalist, said that when heavy rain lashed the district in August, landslips took place in Jedigudda, Hegalathi, Male Shankara hills in Shettihalli sanctuary limits, Sunkadevaramane hill in Hosanagar taluk, and Arodi, near Kargal, in Sagar taluk. As the Western Ghat region is a seismically active zone, if digging activities near the hills for ore extraction and the clearing of natural green cover for cultivation purposes continue, Shivamogga district will also witness the natural disasters that rocked Kerala, Coorg and Chikkamagaluru recently, he said.
