Efforts for the rehabilitation of families of the nomadic Hakki-Pikki tribe, who were evicted from a patch of government land on the last day of 2017, have finally taken shape with the district administration demarcating a piece of land for them.
Two acres of land at Channahalli Bore, in Mahadevapura village of Srirangapatna taluk, was demarcated a few days ago, paving the way for the implementation of development works under the rehabilitation package.
Nearly 300 persons from the community have been staying in polythene sheet-covered temporary huts on a barren land, provided by the district administration, since January 2018. They were assaulted and evicted by the villagers at Mogerahalli in Srirangapatna on December 31, 2017, for staying on a piece of government land.
Members of the community have been living without any infrastructure. The Hindu had highlighted the issue in a report entitled ‘Hakki-Pikki colony still deprived of basic infrastructure’, published in these columns on September 2. A report seeking demarcation of the land at Mahadevapura was recently submitted to the Pandavapura Assistant Commissioner by the Srirangapatna tahsildar. It was approved by the officer and later, the land was demarcated, a senior officer said.
Model colony
The Department of Social Welfare plans to establish a ‘model colony of Hakki-Pikki’ at Channahalli Bore with the help of the Department of Tribal Welfare by utilising funds meant for Scheduled Tribes/Tribal Sub-Plan. Nevertheless, the project had been limited to the papers owing to non-demarcation of land, the officer said on Sunday.
The department will implement the rehabilitation works after the transfer of ownership and other processes are completed, B. Malathi, Deputy Director, Social Welfare Department, said.
The land will soon be transferred to the department under the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964. The works will commence only after the ownership reflects in the records of Rights, Tenancy and Crops.
The Hakki-Pikki families will get benefits of housing schemes, besides facilities such as drinking water, drainage, streetlights and electricity, concrete or asphalted roads, individual and public toilets, and solid waste management facilities. “We also plan to set up an ashram school at the colony, besides providing skill development training and healthcare facilities,” another officer said.
The colony members are also expected to get employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, widow and old age pension, ration cards, Aadhaar cards and other social security benefits.
