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The Government's claim that some of the traditional residents of these forest areas have shown an interest in moving out has been stoutly denied by several tribal groups who have reiterated their stand that they would prefer their `traditional rights' to be protected.

MANGALORE, June 30

THE Karnataka Government is now in the process of finalising a `rehabilitation package' for the `local communities' traditionally inhabiting parts of the forests in the Western Ghats, which are to be brought under the purview of the Kudremukh National Park.

According to a public notification issued by the Deputy Conservator of Forests in Karkala, details regarding the people and the property owned by the traditional inhabitants have been collected by the Forest and Revenue Departments. The details will be displayed at the gram panchayat offices concerned and claimants have been invited to file their objections before July 17, especially since all future plans and negotiations would be based on these statistics.

The Government's claim that some of the traditional residents of these forest areas have shown an interest in moving out, however, has been stoutly denied by several tribal groups who have off and on reiterated their stand that they would prefer their `traditional rights' to be protected. The latest notification, in a series of conflicting signals has, however, once again created confusion in the minds of the people, especially since several Ministers in the Karnataka Government have gone on record stating that nobody would be `forcibly evicted' from the area earmarked for the national park.

The National Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016) prepared by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests clearly states that `local communities' traditionally dependent on natural biomass `must have the first lien on such resources'. In fact, the action plan, which was released by the Prime Minister at the 21st meeting of the Indian Board for Wildlife barely six months ago, says: `Conservation programmes must attempt to reconcile livelihood security with wildlife protection... in consultation with local communities.'

However, according to the Jana Aranya Vedike, a situation is being wilfully created wherein the very local communities which at the policy-level need to be consulted are, at the ground level, being forced into accepting `voluntary eviction'. Several notices and letters by the Forest Department, in fact, have already made it abundantly clear that apart from the `right of way and water', the traditional inhabitants of the area would have no other rights if they were to prefer staying on. In fact, according to Forest Department officials, all rights of local people are deemed to have been `extinguished' as per Section 35(4) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.

The argument of the Forest Department is that the local residents continue to have the right to live in the forests, but their right to livelihood was `extinguished' once the final notification was issued last year.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, a member of the central committee of the State-level Jana Aranya Vedike, Mr Ranjan Rao Yerdoor, President of Nagarika Seva Trust, Mr Somnath Nayak, and President of the Dakshina Kannada Parisarakthara Okkoota, Mr Shampa Daithota, said that the recent spate of notices had created an atmosphere of fear and confusion in the minds of the local residents, mainly Malekudiya tribals.

The people living within the `national park' area were given to understand that their interests would be protected while issuing the final notification for the proposal.

In fact, such an assurance was given in writing by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests in 1999.

The Government, however, seems to be going ahead with its plans without consulting any of the `local communities' on the desirability or even the feasibility of making `alternative arrangements' for their livelihood.

Demanding that the people be clearly told the details of the alternatives in store for them, Mr Yerdoor said that there was a clear contradiction between the professed policy on forest conservation and the ground realities.

On his part, Mr Yerdoor traces the genesis of the current confusion to the presence of Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL) in the same forests. Attempts to reconcile mining activities with rhetoric on conservation have, according to Mr Yerdoor, forced the Government to tie itself up into knots.

A notification issued by the Under Secretary to the Government (Department of Forests, Environment and Ecology) dated June 16, 2001, for instance, clearly states: `The national park shall not include any of the revenue villages, patta lands revenue lands, gomal lands and such other areas which do not form any part of the State forests and reserve forests.'

The preliminary notification to cordon off the area as a `national park' under Section 35(1) was issued in 1987 when KIOCL was already mining in the area.

According to the notification, a little over 60,000 hectares of land in the Kudremukh region of the Chikmagalur and Dakshina Kannada districts was to come under the purview of the proposed national park.

However, under a directive from the Supreme Court the Karnataka Government was compelled to hurry up the final notification of the proposed national park, which under Section 35(4) of the Wildlife Act, was issued on June 16, 2001, in which 5,105 hectare were excluded to accommodate KIOCL.

The legal status of this exclusion too, according to Mr Yerdoor, is questionable and would be resolved once the Supreme Court issues its verdict on whether or not KIOCL would be permitted to continue mining in the forests of the Western Ghats.

As of now, the company has a permit allowing it to mine in the area till October 25.

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