The alleged diversion of fund allotted for executing a voluntary relocation project cast a shadow over the lives of thousands of settler farmers inside the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.
Speaking to the media persons here on Tuesday, T.V. Sreedharan, president, Chettyalathur farmer relocation committee, a settler farmer forum; and N. Badusha, president, Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samithi; said the governments had granted a sum of ₹18.5 crore, including ₹11.5 crore by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), in March last year to relocate as many as 232 families, including 77 tribal families of the Chettyalathur settlement under the sanctuary.
It was planned to provide ₹6 lakh each to selected eligible family as a compensation in the first phase and the remaining amount would be provided later, Mr. Sreedharan said.
Though the amount was transferred to the joint account of Wayanad District Collector and ITDP officer, Kalpetta, on 13 March , 2017, the amount was kept unutilised for around 10 months.
Later, the implementing committee, chaired by the District Collector, had disbursed cheques, each worth ₹6 lakh, last month to 65 beneficiaries as per a priority list. But the farmers who got the cheques could not encash the same owing to treasury restrictions, he said.
When leaders of the organisation contacted Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac, the Minister assured that the amount would be disbursed to them after lifting the treasury restrictions by middle of January.
But the Minister did not keep his promise and the State government had withdrawn the amount recently for some unknown purpose, he said.
‘‘The deadline for utilising the amount was March 15 and if it is not utilised, the amount will lapse. Such a move will lead to cancellation of the ongoing relocation project,’’ Mr. Badusha said.
It would adversely affect the prospects of thousands of farmer families in various settlements inside the sanctuary, he said.
If the government failed to provide compensation in a week, the farmers would launch agitation by erecting huts either in front of the collectorate or the office of the wildlife warden, they said.
