Address issues faced by lessees: MP to minister

MANGALURU: Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel has urged Dr Harsh Vardhan, union minister for environment and forest, to renew land leased under Madras Forest Act, 1882, or permanently grant it to the current dwellers.
There are many traditional farmers carrying out farming in such leased land under the Act in Puttur and Sullia taluks in Dakshina Kannada district which were earlier part of the Madras Presidency, the MP said.

In a memorandum given to the minister in Delhi and released to media here, the MP said in other taluks of Dakshina Kannada, the government has permitted agricultural activities on forest land under certain conditions. Accordingly, farmers were allowed to grow arecanut, coconut, plantain on such land and could not violate conditions laid down. The land grant was limited from 2 to 10 hectares and all such leases issued then, have since ended, Nalin said.

Expiry of the lease has put these farmers, who have not ventured in any other activity besides agriculture all these years and who in turn have availed loans from public, private and co-operative sector banks for the purpose, into a piquant situation. Most of the original lessee’s of such land are no more and their third or fourth generation of successors is carrying out agricultural operations on such land, and they now fear eviction, the MP said.

The Karnataka government has ratified the forest land granted to residents of Kodagu, a ‘C’ state prior to Independence under Jamma Malai rights as per rules of Karnataka Forest Act, the MP said. Taking these facts into consideration, Nalin urged the minister to ensure that farmers who enjoyed rights to lands leased to them under Madras Forest Act do not face any legal hurdles. The minister promised to discuss the issue with officials and take a decision.