Retired IFS officer: People displaced by Sharavathi project still fight to own land they were cultivating

Retired IFS officer AM Annaiah, agro-economist Prakash Kammaradi and others participated in a workshop on agriculture-forestry conflict in Malnad region held at Shivamogga on Saturday. | Photo credit: SK Dinesh

People displaced by the Sharavathi dam project were “dumped” on vacant land, which they then cultivated for decades and yet have no documents to claim ownership, APCCF pensioner AM Annaiah said.

Mr. Annaiah was speaking after inaugurating a workshop on ‘Malenad: Agro-Forest Conflict and Harmony’ held at Shivamogga on Saturday.

In the early 1960s, families affected by the dam project were ordered to move out. Trucks belonging to project contractors took them to villages around Shivamogga and other taluks in the district and dumped them there, he said. “Three generations have passed since then. But the cultivators do not own their land. They are still fighting for their rights even though the district has contributed four chief ministers to the state,” Mr. Annaiah said.

Pointing out that 64% of the land in Shivamogga district was covered by forests, Mr. Annaiah said that the conflict between the farmers and the forest department was quite serious. The National Forest Policy of 1988 made it clear that there would be no further regularization of forest encroachment or illegal occupation. “Protection of forests is essential for the survival of wildlife. It is also the basic duty of every citizen to protect rivers, forests and wildlife,” he said.

He further noted that the Supreme Court judgment in Godavarman Thirumalpad v. Union of India changed the definition of forests and was a landmark decision. “The judgment referred to the dictionary definition of forests regardless of land ownership and classification,” he said.

Agro-economist Prakash Kammaradi, a member of the Karnataka State Policy and Planning Commission, said in his preliminary remarks that the bond between agriculture and forestry has broken in recent years, leading to conflicts. The Western Ghats have become hotbeds of conflict rather than hotbeds of biodiversity. “There is a need to restore harmony between agriculture and forestry,” he said.

TS Huvaiah Gowda, former registrar of Kuvempu University, GL Janardhana of Environment Study Center and others were present at the workshop.

Published – 13 Jun 2026 20:10 IST