Rains: Fear grips residents near hillocks in Madikeri

Six persons had been killed in 2006 when a wall collapsed

In 2006, six were killed when a wall caved in on Moornadu road. The elected representatives shed their crocodile tears amidst family members. No solution has been found out so far. These poor will be remembered only when such incidents recur again. In 2006, the then District-in-Charge Minister Ramachandra Gowda visited the spot where the wall caved in and assured to shift the residents residing in the hillocks which cave in very often during the monsoon. Some families were shifted to temporary ganji kendra. However, government has failed to rehabilitate them. Though governments have changed and district-in-charge minister has changed, the promise to rehabilitate the poor have remained only as a ‘promise.’

Every year, caving in of hillocks are common in Madikeri. The incidents are more in Indiranagara and Chamundeshwari. There is scarcity of space for Madikeri to grow. As a result, several people have constructed houses on top of the hillocks inspite of ‘fear for life’ during monsoon. As the intensity of the rainfall increases, the ‘heartbeat’ of these residents also increases. There is nobody to hear grievances of those who are residing in ganji kendra. For the last four to five years, neither sites have been distributed to the poor nor houses have been distributed. As the land is surrounded by forest, a situation to construct government offices seven kilometres away from the town has arose. In this situation, how to provide housing facilities to the poor, question officials. In the past, politicians have failed to stop people from constructing houses in the hillocks and indulged in vote bank politics. Instead of forcibly shifting the families, government, elected representatives and TMC sould think of rehabilitation facilities to them.