Villages on fringes of MM Hills forests wait for basic services

S Ramesh
Mysuru: Dwellers of villages on the fringes of the forests on the Male Mahadeshwara (MM) Hills continue to live in deplorable conditions at a time when the country is celebrating 75 years of Independence. The lack of basic facilities in many of these villages attests to the apathetic attitude of both the elected representatives, and the civic officials, who have failed to ensure the delivery of essential services to the people.
The Male Mahadeshwara temple in Hanur taluk, Chamarajanagar, sits below only the Kukke Subrahmanya temple in Dakshina Kannada district, in terms of revenue generated. Administered by the Karnataka government’s muzrai department, the shrine draws devotees numbering in the thousands throughout the year. That the villages under the purview of MM Hills gram panchayat (GP) continue to await basic amenities merely serves to underscore the irony of the situation.
Owing to the lack of road connectivity to these villages, residents continue to rely on donkeys, or have to walk barefoot for miles together in order to stock up on essential items, including groceries. Residents of Nagamale, Doddane, Anehola, Haliyuru, among others, continue to lead an existence that is very much insulated from the rest of the world, continuing the way of their ancestors.
Owing to restrictions put in place by the forest department to prevent the woods from being denuded, there is little scope for developmental projects to be undertaken in the villages. Consequently, human-animal conflict is disturbingly commonplace in these villages, while students and patients often have to endure a long commute to reach, respectively, schools and hospitals. The situation is particularly dire for pregnant women in the villages.
President of Chamarajanagar District Raitha Sangha, Honnur Prakash urged the government to take cognisance of the plight of the villagers, and ensure steps were taken to provide the people with access to drinking water, roads, healthcare and education.
Hanur MLA R Narendra told TOI, “The district administration has developed roads that connect the villages to nearby towns. Infrastructure is also in place to ensure regular supply of drinking water. Residents of Changadi had agreed to move out of the forest. There are still several villages that fall under the MM Hills GP that do not have access to many basic facilities. Once the forest department permits, the government will ensure that steps are taken to deliver all essential services.”
MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary deputy conservator of forests, V Yedukondalu said that the forest department, along with the district administration, was working towards setting in place necessary infrastructure to supply drinking water to the residents. “We will set up solar pumps, and roads have been developed to some of the villages. The forest department is making all efforts to ensure the residents receive all the basic services,” he said.