The Forest Department has taken back 51 acres of Gobbali reserve forest land near Goruru in Arkalgud taluk despite resistance from families of released bonded labourers, who had been cultivating the land for a couple of decades.
The Forest officials, who reached the place with earthmovers on Thursday,faced protests by local people. Men and women, who gathered in big numbers, stopped the vehicles and raised slogans demanding that they be allowed to cultivate the land.
The officers of the Forest and Revenue Department tried to convince the families that they would get alternative land as compensation, meant for released bonded labours. However, the villagers argued that they would give up the protest only if they were shown alternative land. Range Forest Officer Arun Kumar, DySP Lakshme Gowda, and tahsildar Y.M..Renu Kumar held talks with the protesters.
Amidst the protest, the Forest officials succeeded in their task. The operation was completed on Friday evening. Deputy Conservator of Forests K.N. Basavaraj told The Hindu, “The local people, who were earlier freed as bonded labourers, had been cultivating a portion of the reserved forest land. Such land cannot be granted to anybody. There was resistance by local people on Thursday. However, there was no resistance on the second day. We have taken back our 51 acres of land.”
The Revenue Department officials have assured the villagers that the Deputy Commissioner of Hassan would take up their case and find them suitable land for a grant.
As many as 91 Dalit families of Gangur, who were working as bonded labourers, were released in the 1990s. Among them, 24 families got land for cultivation in Sakleshpur in 2013. The remaining families are yet to get the land.
