Karnataka Cabinet approves relocation of 16 families of Saragodu forest in Mudigere taluk of Chikkamagaluru

They cultivated the little land they possessed. Often, they encountered wild animals, forcing the administration to put up solar fencing for their safety. The families had no road connectivity. They had to walk in the forest to reach the closest shop at Hullumane-Kunduru. Many families shifted their children to their relatives’ houses in distant places for educational purposes.

The Karnataka Cabinet, which met in Bengaluru on October 28, cleared a proposal to rehabilitate 16 families residing within Saragodu reserved forest in Mudigere taluk of Chikkamagaluru district. With this, around 60 members of these families will get a chance to move out of the forest enclosed by solar fencing. They have been residing in the thick forest, braving wild animals and lacking basic amenities.

The Cabinet has given its consent to allot 33 acres and 24 guntas of land to them at Haduoni in Balur hobli of Mudigere taluk. Each family will get two acres of land to cultivate, besides four guntas to build a house.

Chikkamagaluru district administration had sent a proposal to the government of Karnataka to allot the land recovered from encroachers at Haduoni. Now, this proposal has been approved by the Cabinet.

The State Government had identified families within the forest areas spread over several villages, including Manduligulihara, Byrigadde in Mudigere taluk, and rehabilitated them in 2006. However, 18 families were retained there, considering them traditional forest dwellers as they had been there for a long time, before 1978. Among them, 16 families had been demanding an opportunity to move out. The remaining two want to stay there, and have moved court opposing the rehabilitation proposal.

They cultivated the little land they possessed. Often, they encountered wild animals, forcing the administration to put up solar fencing for their safety. The families had no road connectivity. They had to walk in the forest to reach the closest shop at Hullumane-Kunduru. Many families shifted their children to their relatives’ houses in distant places for educational purposes.

Rajesh, a resident of the locality, stated that his father had sent him to a relative’s house for studies. “Our children face difficult to reach school and anganwadi centres. The nearest school is at Banakal, which is quite far from our place. There is no hospital nearby”, he said.

Rajesh works as a writer in a coffee estate and settled down in Marasanige village in the interest of his daughter’s education. He keeps visiting his house in the forest regularly. “For several years we wanted to move out. Finally, the government has approved the proposal. We don’t know about the financial package, but we have been assured of land,” he stated.