The Hindu : Karnataka / Madikeri News : MLA objects to curbs on tree felling

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Wednesday, Sep 08, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Madikeri

MLA objects to curbs on tree felling

By Our Staff Correspondent

MADIKERI, SEPT. 7. The former Minister and Somwarpet MLA, B.A. Jivijaya, on Monday took exception to the moves of the Conservator of Forests, Kodagu Circle, on the department circular, preventing tree felling on the "bane" lands in Kodagu. The Government should view the issue seriously and withdraw the circular, he said.

Speaking to presspersons here, Mr. Jivijaya said the people who were granted lands by the former rulers of Kodagu had "patta" in their names. The same privilege was continued during the time of British. How could a circular of the Forest Department do away with those rights and privileges that had existed over centuries, he asked.

(The Conservator of Forests, Venkatasubbaiah, has since been transferred).

The Karnataka Land Revenue Act of 1964 came into being in Kodagu district after the Coorg Revenue Regulation of 1899 was repealed. Following this, the RTC (record of rights over lands held) was introduced in place of "Jamabandi". Owing to this, the landholders naturally became the owners of tree wealth on their lands. All land tenures had been done away with in Kodagu. It was wrong to mislead the people of the district by interpreting the antiquated laws, Mr. Jivijaya said.

Coffee

On the coffee price crisis that had affected the economy of the district in the last five years, Mr. Jivijaya said apart from the struggle launched by various organisations, "we must have a lobby of parliamentarians to pressure the Government." The Commerce Minister, Kamalnath, was in favour of providing relief to the growers but not the Finance Minister, Chidambaram, who himself was a grower, he said.

The Centre should view things in the right perspective since over 15 lakh employees were dependent on the industry in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, he said. Referring to a new turn the movement had taken involving the coffee growers from the three States recently, Mr. Jivijaya expressed happiness over the fact that M.P. Veerendra Kumar, MP from Kerala, was chosen the convenor.

A sum of Rs. 1,300 crores involving the coffee industry — loan and interest — was a pittance for the Government to write off. If the Government could waive huge amount of industrial arrears, why should farmers be ignored, he said quoting the Agriculture Minister, Ajit Singh, at a rally in Guntur recently.

The Centre also made good of the UTI scam, but the poor farmers were left to fend for themselves. He decried the dictates of the developed nations, which gave subsidies to their farmers but restricted developing countries from doing so.

Revamp

Mr. Jivijaya agreed that internal squabbles within the party had been responsible for the loss of face for the Congress in the recent times in Kodagu. All the former Ministers and leaders of the Congress in Kodagu should thrash out the differences and re-build the party, he said. Organisational elections to the Kodagu District Congress Committee could hold the key in Kodagu. If differences were not sunk, it could further aid the growth of the BJP and the Janata Dal(S).

He was of the view that the party bosses in the State should also take note of the happenings in Kodagu. Individuals could survive politically only when the party remained vibrant. Unfortunately, no leader visited the district to sort out the confusions. "We need to listen to someone. We expect State party leaders to solve the problems," he said and added that if not, the party in Kodagu could "rot" in the future.

To a question, Mr. Jivijaya said he had spoken to the MLAs from the Malnad region of the State to forge unity to seek more funds to the districts hit by rain. He had written to the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, in the matter, he said.

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MLA objects to curbs on tree felling