Aravinda Limbavalli accused of encroaching upon elephant corridor.
Aravinda Limbavalli, recently inducted into Jagadish Shettar’s ministry as health and family welfare minister, has been accused of encroaching upon the elephant corridor by setting up a 12 MW mini hydel power plant. This has found to be causing elephant herds to enter villages in the Mandya forest region, leading to attacks on the inhabitants and destruction of their crops.
In a recent letter, written by the deputy conservator of forest to the divisional forest officer of Mandya division, it was stated that the mini hydel project belonging to Limbavalli has been illegally set up on reserve forest land, which has been earmarked as an elephant corridor, and that the power plant has been set up without seeking the permission of the forest department.
The letter (C-1/Bhoomi/GL-98-2010-2011) states that the company, Aravinda Limbavalli Mini Hydel Project, set up the power plant, operational since June 2005, after taking revenue department land (Survey no 277 in Dhanagur Reserve Forest Area) on lease for a 30-year period.
However, according to the Central Forest Act, no reserve forest land can be used as revenue land; nor can any reserve forest land be leased out for any purpose.
The power plant has been built using three kilometres of road and five kilometres of forest area to put up power transmission lines; this has been found to be posing a threat to wildlife, including elephants, who are forced to divert from their corridor and enter villages adjoining the elephant corridor.
Because of this encroachment, the elephant corridor covering Dhanagur reserve forest land, under Malavalli taluk of Mandya district, has been found completely disrupted. The mini hydel project comprises a warehouse, machinery and power house along with employees’ quarters. The plant perimeter has been fenced and the noise pollution from the plant is forcing elephants to come in direct conflict with neighbouring villagers.Mandya-based social activist KR Ravindra had earlier filed a complaint with the Central Empowered Committee in April 2011, following which the forest department swung into action and directed its officials to file an FIR in this regard. The FIR was registered in June 2012.
The deputy conservator of forest has also directed officials to recover the encroached land, but nothing has happened in the past one month.
Limbavali’s power plant is just one among a total of four commercial ventures in the area, according to Ravindra’s complaint. Besides three government agencies, too, have encroached upon this reserved forest land.
Moreover, on adjacent reserve forest area, Basavanabetta, resorts belonging to Jungle Lodges and Resorts have come up on two hectares of land without permission, according to the report of deputy conservator of forest, Mandya division.
The companies, put together, have allegedly encroached upon more than 500 acres of reserve forest land in Dhanagur reserve forest by fortifying the entire area.
Principal chief conservator of forest, Deepak Sharma, however, refused to comment on this issue, stating that he cannot divulge details on action taken on this issue. “I am not answerable to anyone except to the state government; we will take necessary action in this regard,” he told DNA.
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