Cooperate with dist adminitration, minister appeals to Diddalli tribals

Seetharam wants tribals to relocate to houses to be built in 3 different places

Kodagu District In-charge Minister and Minister for Planning, Statistics, Science and Technology, M R Seetharam on Thursday turned down the Diddalli tribals demand for alloting sites for their rehabilitation at Devaramucchi reserve forest in the district.

The minister, who advised the tribals against being misled by others, said, “If the government allots sites for rehabilitation as demanded by the tribals in forest area, the minister and officials concerned wil be jailed along with chief minister of the state for violating forest laws.”

The minister reminded tribals that the district administration has already identified lands to develop sites at three places and those beneficiaries selected through lottery should cooperate with the same.

Earlier, the minister laid foundation to upgrade the road leading to temple of Igguthappa, the deity of Kodavas, to a concrete road at the estimated cost of Rs 2.85 crore. The minister promised to complete the work before the onset of monsoon. The work taken up under Malnad Area Development Scheme was long-pending ever since it was proposed several years ago.

Scores of habitants from the area near Tamara Resort complained to the minister that the resort management has closed the road leading to their locality. The minister promised to initiate action and directed both Police and Revenue department personnel to clear the road if the stretch existed from earlier. Any inconvenience to public movement will be strictly dealt with, in accordance with law, he said.

MLC Veena Achaiah, Kodagu district Congress committee president T P Ramesh, deputy commissioner Richard Vincent D’Souza, assistant commissioner Dr Nanjunde Gowda and other officials were  present.