Sirs,
I read with some trepidation your account of the discussions in the Legislative Assembly, regarding encroached land in Kodagu. Our representatives seem, all in favour of handing over Government land.
It may be a popular, and vote-getting, move to hand over the encroached lands to the cultivators, but the long-term implications need to be factored in. The government needs to follow some guidelines that ensure the viability of the environment in Kodagu.
If it is a matter of livelihood, allotting three acres per family to locals, may be a reasonable solution. However, the idea of leasing 25 acres to encroachers sounds very unfair. How can land worth crores be practically gifted to law-breakers? And to claim this will help preserve forests is quite a stretch.
Also, where the encroached land is near an elephant corridor, all the land should be reforested so that animals are not forced to stray into private land and estates. This has been a real danger in many areas of Kodagu.
Could we not convince the MLAs and other representatives to oppose such profligacy for short term gains?
Regards,
Cavery Bopaiah
