Elephant corridor: K'taka asks for Centre's consent to use CAMPA fund

NEW DELHI: Karnataka on Thursday urged the Centre to allow it to use the CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority) funds for setting up an elephant corridor by acquiring private land in the Sakleshpur taluk of Hassan district.

"Farmers have come forward to give 2,500 acres of land voluntarily. This, along with the government land, can be utilised for the corridor, which will help widen the elephant habitat," Karnataka Minister for Animal Husbandry and in-charge of Hassan district, A Manju, told reporters here. The CAMPA fund is used for afforestation and forest conservation purposes.

"The state CAMPA fund has about Rs 300 crore and we want the Centre's permission to utilise that amount for acquiring private land," he said.

Manju was in the national capital to take up issues concerning Karnataka with some of the Union ministers, including Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation D V Sadananda Gowda.