There are allegations that coffee planters are behind the Forest Department’s move in evicting tribals from Devamacchi reserve forest in Diddalli of Virajpet taluk.
It is said that if the tribals are evicted from forest land, then they will settle down in the linehouses (where labourers of coffee estate reside), which in turn will solve the problems of shortage of labour of the planters.
On the grounds of encroachment of the reserve forest, the Forest Department officials cleared 577 families on December 7. Even after 12 days of the incident, lives of more than 3,000 persons, including senior citizens, youths, women and children, are in jeopardy without a roof over their head.
Prior to their settlement at Diddalli, the tribals were residing in the linehouses in the estates at Virajpet, Balele, Kutta, Gonikoppa and Siddapura, They were paid less wages. At the same time, they did not have the privilege of leaves. A majority of the coffee estates in Kodagu are owned by real estate owners, politicians and some prestigious coffee industries.
“Dejected over a kind of bonded labour system, the tribals had left linehouses a few months ago and had settled at Devamacchi reserve forest by constructing huts. Most of them had searched for alternative employment for livelihood.
The migration of the tribal labourers from linehouses had caused inconvenience to the planters as they were facing shortage of labourers for harvesting coffee beans. They exerted pressure the forest officials and evicted them from their huts to ensure that they returned to linehouses,” a leader protesting for the rights of displaced tribals said.
Land in forest area
“Diddalli has an Ashrama school, a primary health centre, an Anganwadi centre, water facility as well as a connecting road. Some forest dwellers have already been sanctioned five acres of land under Forest Rights Act. In such a situation, how can Diddalli become a reserve forest all of a sudden?” the victims asked.
“We tribals have been striving to conserve forest. All the bonded labourers working in coffee states should be given houses. We want sites at Diddalli and we cannot shift to other places,” victim Muthamma said.
“The land where we had constructed huts at Diddalli was a Paisari land earmarked for landless. Owing to the conspiracy of some influential persons, the land has been declared as forest Paisari. The ownership of the land is yet to be handed over to the Forest Department.
Even the trees have not been cultivated on the land. The officials are misleading. The victims should be sanctioned land at Diddalli itself. Otherwise, we will forcibly take away the land,” Kodagu Sauharda Vedike leader A K Subbaiah told DH.
More than 40 organisations have extended support to the agitation by the tribals and have decided to intensify their agitation. Bhoomi Mattu Vasati Hakku Vanchithara Horata Samiti’s H S Doreswamy, Gauri Lankesh, Noor Sridhar and K L Ashok will visit the spot on Sunday. Actor Chethan and Sirimane Nagaraj are agitating with the tribals.