CHIKKAMAGALURU: The last residents of
Kudremukh will start moving out of the
ghost town soon as the countdown has begun to shut down the iconic town permanently. Currently, there are around 70 to 80 families residing in Kudremukh, which once had a population of 30,000.
The
Chikkamagaluru district administration has started consultation with the forest department on the formalities related to handing over the 1,000-plus acre township and adjacent areas. The township, developed to aid iron ore extraction by the Kudremukh Iron
Ore Company Limited (KIOCL), saw mining operations being wound up by January 1, 2006, following a Supreme Court order.
District commissioner MK Sreerangaiah said the process of relocating and rehabilitating the residents has begun. “We have allotted around 10 acres of land in the
Mavinakere area of the district where these families will shift. Private land parcels too will be handed over to the forest department and the families will be compensated,” he added.
According to the DC, the district administration has started discussions with all the stakeholders. “Once all the families are shifted out and private property owners are compensated, the entire township will be handed over to the forest department,” he said. “Rs 1.14 crore has been released towards compensating private landowners. The forest department will decide about the future of this region,” he said.
Photo for representative purpose only
