Forest dept readying plan to relocate tribal hamlet out of the woods

MYSURU: Officials of the Male Mahadeshwara (MM) Hills Wildlife Sanctuary forest department are currently in the process of chalking out a comprehensive plan to relocate more than 225 families from Chengadi village. All residents of the hamlet are members of the Soliga tribe, and the foresters are conferring with them to ensure that the relocation of the village – the first-of-its-kind operation in Chamarajanagar district – is carried out with their consent.
The tribal hamlet, with a population of 1,562, is nestled deep inside the MM Hills forest, completely cut-off from the world. No roads connect the residents to nearby towns and villages, and there is no electricity or means to supply power to such a remote location. The government has offered the residents a choice – they can either opt to relocate to Kothanuru, where a 400-acre land parcel has been identified and three-acre plots allotted to each household, or take Rs 15 lakh in cash.
Chengadi is not the only isolated tribal hamlet in the range. A forest officer said that Thokkere, Doddane, Medugalane and Parasnatha are four other hamlets situated deep in the woods.
“Around 90% of the people have consented to relocate, and we are trying to convince the others. Most of the people in the hamlet have either migrated to Mysuru and Bengaluru in search of employment or are living in Kollegal, Chowdalli and Hanuru, where they are engaged in agriculture. But all of them still have houses in Chengadi, and are entitled to compensation,” the officer told TOI.
He added that a bulk of the people still residing in the hamlet were the elderly. “The youngsters have moved to cities and towns. We expect that most people will accept the Rs 15 lakh package since it will help them settle down,” he said.
The survey being carried out by the forest department primarily entails identifying and demarcating land that will be allotted to those opting for plots, and the number of houses that will have to be constructed to house the families.
MM Hills wildlife sanctuary deputy conservator of forests V Yedukondalu said that a blueprint for the relocation of the entire village would be ready in two months. “We will have to prepare a report with an exact estimate of the funds required for the operation, and other logistical details. Once the finance department releases the funds required, we will initiate the process,” Yedukondalu told TOI.
He said that the forest department would look into relocation of the other four tribal hamlets once all the people at Chengadi had been duly compensated.