Karnataka   

Government urged to help bagar hukum cultivators

Bangalore: Revenue Minister Jagadish Shettar and Forest and Environment Minister C. Chennigappa have expressed diametrically opposite views on the regularisation of bagar hukum cultivation on forest land.

The Ministers were replying to H.C. Balakrishna, K.G. Bopaiah, C.T. Ravi, Sunita Veerappa Gowda, N. Raghupathi Bhat, Bhagirath T. and Haladi Srinivasa Shetty on the issue during question hour in the Legislative Assembly on Monday.

Mr. Shettar said the problem existed in Chikmagalur, Shimoga, Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada districts and assured them that he would try to find a permanent solution to it. Under Sections 94A and 94B of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act bagar hukum cultivation in reserve forests could not be regularised, the Minister said. The members said that the Forest Act made it clear that any area with 25 trees was considered a forest. Going by this premise, large tracts of revenue land, which had a dense growth of trees, had to be declared forests, putting farmers to undue hardship. A joint survey of the land under cultivation was being conducted by Forest and Revenue department officials.

Mr. Chennigappa reminded the House that the issue was being monitored by the Empowered Committee appointed by the Supreme Court, and only the Union Government could give some relief to bagar hukum cultivators with the court’s permission. The State Government was helpless in solving the problem.

N. Yogish Bhat, who was in the Chair, suggested that the two Ministers convene a meeting on the issue and take a positive decision to help farmers.

Mr. Chennigappa assured Basavaraju and K.G. Bopaiah that he would discuss with senior officials of the Forest Department about initiating action against the Deputy Conservator of Forests of Kodagu district for taking up a case against an assistant executive engineer, an assistant engineer and linemen of MESCOM in Virajpet for the death of an elephant due to electrocution.

The members said that hundreds of electricity poles collapsed during the incessant rain that lashed the district, and an elephant was killed when it came in contact with a live wire. They alleged that the DCF, instead of restoring power supply and cooperating with the MESCOM officials, had booked non-bailable cases against them.

The Minister said he would convene a meeting of the legislators concerned and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and visit the areas where coconut and other crops were destroyed by herds of elephants. He ruled out killing wild animals, including elephants, which stray into human habitations, as they were protected under the Wildlife Protection Act.

Mr. Chennigappa told P.C. Mohan that a foreign company had offered to develop a dumping yard for the disposal of electronic waste. The Department of Environment and Forests had written to the Union Government seeking its approval. Even the Centre had not enacted a law for disposing of electronic waste. The State Government planned to introduce legislation for the purpose. He said the three existing dumping yards at Dobbespet, Hoskote and Bangalore would be expanded.

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