Madras High Court wants to know government stand on relocating Thengumarahada villagers in the Nilgiris

Chief Wildlife Warden had reported to the court that they were causing hindrance to free movement of wild animals

The Madras High Court on Tuesday granted time till August 25 for the State government to take a call on relocating all those who had been occupying over 500 acres of forest land at Thengumarahada village in Kothagiri taluk of the Nilgiris district since 1952 and causing hindrance to free movement of wild animals.

Justices V. Bharathidasan and N. Sathish Kumar granted time after Additional Advocate General J. Ravindran told the court that the government would be taking a decision on the issue by this weekend. The AAG said that meetings had already been conducted with stakeholders and it was now for the government to take a call.

The judges pointed out that Thengumarhada was formed in 1952 by leasing out reserved forest lands to 142 individuals who were given three acres each for food crop cultivation. A cooperative farming society was formed and it was made clear that the government would resume the lands in case of violation of lease conditions.

However, now, only 10 legal representatives of the original lessees were occupying the properties and the rest had been sub-let to various persons in violation of the lease conditions. The Chief Wildlife Warden (CWC) Shekhar Kumar Niraj told the court that the village was a stumbling block for free movement of wildlife.

He pointed out that the entire assigned lands fell within Bhavanisagar Range of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve and they were located in a crucial space interconnecting the Nilgiris biodiversity with the Eastern Ghats biodiversity and it was also an important connecting corridor for long ranging wild animals.

The CWC recommended relocation of the villagers and the judges concurred with him. They prima facie came to a conclusion that people were occupying the lands in violation of the lease conditions and hence they could be evicted without even paying any compensation.

Nevertheless, since the occupants had been in possession of the lands for many decades and also because some of the villagers were willing to relocate if they were given alternative accommodation, the judges, first, formed a committee to ascertain their views and then decided to obtain the opinion of the government.