'Lax' officials stop jumbo corridor in its tracks

Affected by the continued conflict with elephants, as many as 416 farmers in the cardamom growing region of Sakleshpur in Hassan district came forward to pledge 2,361 acres of farm lands to recreate the elephant corridor almost two years ago.

The Forest department also has ambitious plans of acquiring around 20,000 acres of revenue land in the taluk and converting it to forest land, to help restore the corridor. But so far, the plans have not been implemented, due to lack of political will coupled with bureaucratic hurdles.

Forest Minister C P Yogeeshwara has said he has no qualms in spending around Rs 350 crore from the ministry to acquire lands by paying compensation to the farmers for the elephant corridor. The minister maintains his department is making concerted efforts to acquire 20,000-odd acres of revenue land.

But ever since the proposals were mooted, the forest department is nowhere close to executing either the land acquisition or the transfer process. Yogeeshwara blamed his officials for their ‘lethargy’  to further the acquisition process.

When contacted by Deccan Herald, the Minister said: “It is unfortunate that my department officials are very lethargic. I have, in fact, deputed the Nagarhole forest conservator to specifically hold negotiations with the farmers to arrive at a suitable compensation.

There is no dearth of funds in the department and I am ready to pay any amount the farmers ask for. A few hundred crores of rupees should not come in the way of a futuristic project,” he claimed.

He said the Hassan deputy commissioner (DC) had been directed to transfer the identified revenue lands to the forest department. There is no need for a survey of the land by the revenue department as the records are available already, he said and added he would be writing to the DC immediately.

‘Survey required’

Hassan DC K G Jagadeesh has been waiting for over two months for this very letter. “When the minister was in the district two months ago, he had given clearance for the land acquisition process. But till date, I have not received anything in writing. Till I get the instructions in writing, I cannot initiate the process,” he said.

He said it is necessary to conduct a survey of revenue land, before it is transferred to the forest department.

“The topography of this region is unlike any other, and a survey needs to be conducted. Manual equipment is of no use for carrying out the survey. I have written to the tahsildar and the forest department asking for the Total Station Survey Equipment, but to no avail,” he said.

Principal Secretary, Forest department, Kaushik Mukherjee counters the DC. “All the required equipment is with the district administration, and the survey work can begin,” he said.

However, Mukherjee said, “The farmers are seeking a very high amount. It is not anywhere close to the market value. Moreover, the middlemen have made the acquisition process all the more complicated,” he said.

Farmers’ plight

Meanwhile, the farmers are growing restless. Not only are they facing huge crop damage by elephants, they rue that lives are being lost. According to Atthihalli Devraj, President, Hassan Wildlife Society, the farmers - including himself - have not been able to grow cardamom, which is the only high yielding crop here, for the last couple of years.

“There has been so much crop destruction that we are not getting the same yield we used to a few years ago. But most importantly, we now fear for our lives because of elephants. We are ready to either be rehabilitated or receive a decent compensation.”

A long elephant corridor runs from the Mysore elephant reserve and connects to Bhadra through Alur, Somwarpet, Pushpagiri, Bisle, Shiradi, Charmudi and Kudremukh.
The 400-odd farmer families belong to Bisle village, Mavinuru, Boranamane, Atthihalli, Hongadhalla, Kaginele Bettakumri and Yedekumri, all coming under Sakleshpur taluk. Around 50 acres of land proposed to be pledged comprises coffee plantations.