The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Land meant for raising fodder encroached upon

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 04, 2011
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Land meant for raising fodder encroached upon

T.S. Ranganna

Livestock Development Authority is given the task of growing fodder in six districts

Amrut Mahal Kaval land is reserved as free pasture for raising indigenous cattle breed
Anumal Husbandry Department has no information on details of encroachers of 21,098 acres

BANGALORE: The Karnataka Livestock Development Authority, which has been entrusted with the responsibility of raising fodder for the cattle population on 55,292 acres of land spread over Chikmagalur, Chitradurga, Davangere, Hassan, Mandya and Tumkur districts, is unable grow fodder on 21,098 acres, thanks to encroachment.

Statistics in report

According to a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (Civil), the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences has in its possession 55,292 acres of Amrut Mahal Kaval lands in 59 villages of six districts coming under the control of the Chikmagalur farm and they have to be protected. The remaining departmental farms in other parts of the State had 5,418 acres for the same purpose.

No information

The Amrut Mahal Kaval lands are reserved since long ago as free pasture for raising the indigenous cattle breed, Amruth Mahal, which required vast grazing lands. Though the encroachment of 21,098 acres was detected in 2009, the department had no information such as details of encroachers and duration of encroachment.

The Revenue Department had several times warned the Animal Husbandry Department that there was no provision either to regularise the encroachments of Amrut Mahal Kaval lands or sanction these to farmers. The tahsildar of Channarayapatna in Hassan district and the committee for regularising the unauthorised occupation illegally regularised 340.07 acres in three villages between 1994 and 2003.

Besides these Kaval lands, 233.18 acres of the 1,116.39 acres of farm land at the Livestock Breeding Farm at Koila have also been encroached upon.

Unfortunately, the CAG said that the Deputy Commissioners of the said districts did not furnish the details of action such as surveying and eviction of the land to the Animal Husbandry Commissioner.

Shortage of staff

Explaining the reasons for the encroachment of these lands, the CAG report said that watch and ward men were recruited for guarding the property.

While 113 of them were working in 37 of the 59 villages, there was no security guards for 24,919.50 acres, accounting for 45 per cent of the Kaval lands in the remaining 22 villages.

According to the conditions prescribed in 2008 for appointing watch and ward, each one of them was to be entrusted with the job of guarding 400 acres for which, he would be given two acres to make a living.

Every security guard was to be engaged in production of fodder, besides maintenance of farm lands.

Having a field day

However, it was seen that the distribution of the Kaval lands among these security guards in 37 villages was uneven and as a result, the extent of land entrusted to him ranged from 9.08 acres in Chikkathekkalapatti village to 1,907.28 acres in Hierekere village. As the Department failed to implement guidelines and 45 per cent of the land had no watch and ward staff, the encroachers had a field day.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka