December 07, 2012
The threat of eviction is hanging like the sword of Damocles over 581 families living since many decades in Kalasa hobli. The high court has directed the forest department to evict them within December 31. With the decades-old inam land issue still remains unresolved, the residents are now caught in a catch-22 situation.
It was the kings of Mysore who donated 14,340 acres of land as inam land to Kalaseshwara temple which is known as Kashi of South India, in 1928. Out of that, 10,776 acres of land has been considered as gomal (non-cultivable) and karabu (wasteland). But the successive governments, without verifying land records, sanctioned this land for cultivation and a few acres of land were encroached. According to forest department records, 6,777 acres of land was considered as reserve forest, but no demarcation was done and erratically some acres were given for cultivation and some were encroached.
Shakhara Shetty and a few others, who had filed public interest litigation in the high court, contended that forest land has been given for cultivation and according to the Supreme Court direction, no non-forestry activities should be allowed in the forest land. Though the single bench rejected their application, the forest department contested this in the division bench. On April 20 in 2012, the division bench, upholding the plea, directed the forest department to evict all the encroachment in the forest area and take possession of the land by December 31.
The families residing in the area for decades moved the SC against this order, but it is yet to be accepted by the apex court. The review petition filed in the HC has not been heard and now the HC has asked the government to submit an action-taken report based on their 2012, April order.
The forest department has issued eviction notices to all the encroachers. Recently, the deputy conservator of forest, Koppa division, has written to the chief conservator of forest, Chikmagalur circle, to request the HC to give one more year to evict all the encroachers.
According to the forest department, of the 781 families who are cultivating in forest area, 126 are considered as tribals and they can continue there as per the Tribal Rights Act. In the case of other 581 families, a joint survey will be conducted by the revenue surveyors to mark the blocks before passing a final order. This may take another one year. Now, the forest department is trying to convince the court to give more time for eviction.
Meanwhile, villagers at Devarabetta, Karimane, Kalkodu, Mavinakere, Talagodu and Thotaduru have started protesting against the move. They accuse the state government of not showing concern to take appropriate steps and convince the court to protect their interest.
Source: The Times of India
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