<p>Bengaluru: The government's delay in processing the rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) application of the families seeking to move out of the Kudremukh Natinal Park (KNP) has claimed lives of two persons on Friday who were among over half of the 1382 families that had sought to move out of the park.</p><p>Umesh and Harish of Keremane in Kerekattte of Sringeri taluk in Chikmagalur district were trampled to death by an elephant on Friday. Sources in the department confirmed that the two belong to families who have filed a R&R application. However, the same has not been processed due to lack of funds.</p><p>The rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) plan was approved by the government in 2005, when the government was eager to root out Naxalism in Chikkamagaluru and Udupi districts. However, in the years since, the project has taken a backseat due to several reasons, not least of them is the lack of political will.</p>.In latest twist, Karnataka High Court stays FIR in Dharmasthala case.<p>As per the rules, R&R is a voluntary procedure. The department had found good response from among the 876 families in Chikkamagaluru district as over 500 of them had filed applications seeking relocation. "As many as 233 families who applied for relocation are from the Kerekatte range, where the two persons got killed. Unfortunately, R&R has slowed down in recent years," said wildlife conservationist Veeresh G.</p><p>The response from families in the rest of the KNP in the neighbouring districts varied. Of the 263 families from Dakshina Kannada, over half of them sought relocation but only about one third of the 243 families in Udupi district had expressed interest. This, even though the government's R&R package had By 2020, the government had estimated that R&R will cost at Rs 40 lakh per family.</p><p>Though over 550 families have applied for R&R, the forest department has managed to clear only 255 applications. "We have 297 families waiting to get out of KNP. The project has nearly stalled in the last five years, leaving families waiting for compensation. The two victims were from Keremane village near Kerekatte. Senior officials need to take interest in helping these communities to prevent further tragedies," he said.</p><p>KNP Deputy Conservator of Forests Shivaram Babu said the department has taken up R&R seriously. "We have been completing the rehabilitation procedure as and when we get funds. This year, Rs 5 crore was allocated to us and Rs 2.5 crore was released. We had already utilised that fund for rehabilitating four families. We have written to the higher ups for the release of the remaining amount. Priority will be given to the application by the families of the victims," he said.</p><p>Officials said the department also paid ex gratia of Rs 20 lakh to each of the families. A senior official said R&R comes to the fore only during a tragedy. "The government has been trying to get compensatory afforestation funds for the R&R project. Though the funds belong to the state, it requires Centre's approval," an official said.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: The government's delay in processing the rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) application of the families seeking to move out of the Kudremukh Natinal Park (KNP) has claimed lives of two persons on Friday who were among over half of the 1382 families that had sought to move out of the park.</p><p>Umesh and Harish of Keremane in Kerekattte of Sringeri taluk in Chikmagalur district were trampled to death by an elephant on Friday. Sources in the department confirmed that the two belong to families who have filed a R&R application. However, the same has not been processed due to lack of funds.</p><p>The rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) plan was approved by the government in 2005, when the government was eager to root out Naxalism in Chikkamagaluru and Udupi districts. However, in the years since, the project has taken a backseat due to several reasons, not least of them is the lack of political will.</p>.In latest twist, Karnataka High Court stays FIR in Dharmasthala case.<p>As per the rules, R&R is a voluntary procedure. The department had found good response from among the 876 families in Chikkamagaluru district as over 500 of them had filed applications seeking relocation. "As many as 233 families who applied for relocation are from the Kerekatte range, where the two persons got killed. Unfortunately, R&R has slowed down in recent years," said wildlife conservationist Veeresh G.</p><p>The response from families in the rest of the KNP in the neighbouring districts varied. Of the 263 families from Dakshina Kannada, over half of them sought relocation but only about one third of the 243 families in Udupi district had expressed interest. This, even though the government's R&R package had By 2020, the government had estimated that R&R will cost at Rs 40 lakh per family.</p><p>Though over 550 families have applied for R&R, the forest department has managed to clear only 255 applications. "We have 297 families waiting to get out of KNP. The project has nearly stalled in the last five years, leaving families waiting for compensation. The two victims were from Keremane village near Kerekatte. Senior officials need to take interest in helping these communities to prevent further tragedies," he said.</p><p>KNP Deputy Conservator of Forests Shivaram Babu said the department has taken up R&R seriously. "We have been completing the rehabilitation procedure as and when we get funds. This year, Rs 5 crore was allocated to us and Rs 2.5 crore was released. We had already utilised that fund for rehabilitating four families. We have written to the higher ups for the release of the remaining amount. Priority will be given to the application by the families of the victims," he said.</p><p>Officials said the department also paid ex gratia of Rs 20 lakh to each of the families. A senior official said R&R comes to the fore only during a tragedy. "The government has been trying to get compensatory afforestation funds for the R&R project. Though the funds belong to the state, it requires Centre's approval," an official said.</p>