Karnataka - Madikeri   

Will they get to study in better environs?

SAD PLIGHT: It is not an easy life for children of tribal people living in the fringe areas of the forest in Kodagu.

Madikeri: At a time when educational institutions are run in sophisticated buildings with unrivalled interiors, there are schools being run in ramshackle structures at many places in the forest fringes in Kodagu.

At Dubare, the famous elephant camp near Kushalnagar, a school is being run exclusively for children of mahouts and “kavadis” (helpers) for many years now. It has a strength of 36 students.

The building wall is made of bamboo and it has an asbestos sheet roof. Deputy Director of Public Instruction Basheer Ahmad said that land was yet to be handed over to the Education Department by the Forest Department. There were only two teachers for handling classes from classes I to V, he said.

The Forest Department had said that land could be released for a new school building if the Education Department agreed to abide by the conditions laid down in the Forest Conservation Act.

One of the conditions was that the Education Department would have to pay Rs. 8 lakh for a hectare of forestland as net present value. This had been conveyed to the Commissioner of Education, Mr. Ahmad said.

But, it would require only about one acre of land to construct permanent buildings, he said.

“If we get land, we will start construction work this year itself,” Mr. Ahmad told The Hindu. A sum of Rs. 4.1 lakh had been earmarked for the purpose by the zilla panchayat. Additional cost would be adjusted from other sources, he said.

G.A. Sudarshan, Conservator of Forests, Kodagu Circle, had sent a letter to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Bangalore, on January 23, requesting him to release 0.4 hectares of land for construction of the school for tribal students.

Classrooms would be constructed by the Education Department to run classes from standard I to VIII. The proposed location lay close to the tribal colony in Dubare, he said.

Mr. Sudarshan had said that the land proposed for the school was without thick forests and only elephants of the Forest Department moved around in the area. Children going to school were unable to cross the river during monsoon, he said.

He had quoted the Central order dated January 3, 2005, that had given general approval under Section 2 of the Forest Conservation Act for diversion of forest land to departments for taking up construction.

The Supreme Court had ruled in September 14, 2007, that certain activities could be carried out in the forests and protected areas, he had said.

Mr. Sudarshan had requested the PCCF to forward the proposal to the State Government. Under the general approval, forest land could be diverted for construction of schools, dispensaries, hospitals, power sub-stations, police stations and outposts and laying of electric, telecommunication and drinking water lines and so on. The user agency (the Education Department in this case) would have to pay the net present value for such land not exceeding one hectare.

M.S. Chinnappa, Range Forest Officer, Kushalnagar, said that two private boat operators would ferry the schoolchildren across the river during monsoon, free of cost. Even tribal people residing in the Dubare Elephant camp too would take get a free boat ride, he said.

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