Retired IFS officer: People displaced by Sharavathi project still fighting to claim ownership of land they cultivated

The radical displaced owing to the Sharavathi dam task were “dumped” connected vacant lands, which they past cultivated for decades, and yet bash not person documents to assertion ownership, said retired APCCF A.M. Annaiah.

Mr. Annaiah spoke aft inaugurating a store connected ‘Malenad: Agriculture-Forest Conflict and Harmony’ held successful Shivamogga connected Saturday.

During the aboriginal 1960s, families affected by the dam task were directed to determination out. The trucks belonging to task contractors carried them to villages astir Shivamogga and different taluks successful the territory and dumped them there, helium said. “Three generations person passed since then. However, the cultivators bash not person ownership of their land. They are inactive warring for their rights, though the territory has contributed 4 Chief Ministers to the State,” Mr. Annaiah said.

Highlighting that 64% of the onshore successful Shivamogga territory was covered by forests, Mr. Annaiah said the struggle betwixt agriculturists and the Forest Department was rather serious. The nationalist wood argumentation of 1988 made it wide that determination would beryllium nary further regularisation of encroachment oregon amerciable concern of forests. “The conservation of forests is indispensable for the endurance of wildlife. It is besides a cardinal work of each national to support rivers, forests, and the wildlife,” helium stated.

He further noted that the Supreme Court judgement successful the Godavarman Thirumalpad v. Union of India lawsuit changed the explanation of forests and was a landmark ruling. “The judgement referred to the dictionary explanation of forests, irrespective of the ownership and classification of the land,” helium stated.

Agro-economist Prakash Kammaradi, a subordinate of the Karnataka State Policy and Planning Commission, successful his preliminary remarks, said the enslaved betwixt agriculture and forestry had breached successful caller years, giving emergence to conflicts. The Western Ghats had go struggle hotspots alternatively than biodiversity hotspots. “There is simply a request for restoring harmony betwixt agriculture and forestry,” helium stated.

T.S. Huvaiah Gowda, retired Registrar of Kuvempu University, G.L. Janardhana of the Environment Study Centre and others were contiguous astatine the workshop.