BANGALORE: After decades of fight, traditional nomadic communities-Hakki Pikki and the Iruliga will see a ray of light. The Social Welfare Department with a motive to rehabilitate these communities, had denotified a 350 acre land in early sixties.For the same purpose, 350 acres of land has been released to these communities from Ragihalli State Forest through a notification (AFD 150/FAF 61 dated 29 January 1962) in order to give them land for cultivation, of which about 4 acres of land had originally been allocated to each family.There was an inordinate delay in the release of the above land since 1962. Both Hakki Pikki and Iruligas have been fighting to get the 350 acre land which was allotted to them.“Our community people are residing in Bannerghatta forest since 1950s. We are tired of fighting as we are made to run between the Revenue and Forest departments. We even met Social Welfare Minister and Chief Secretary with our demands. But that too has borne no fruit” said Chandrashekar, a resident of Hakki Pikki Colony at Bannerghatta.They have now formed ‘Hakki-Pikki and Iruliga Society’. The government continues to drag its feet on the matters of issuing ‘Title Deeds’ to the tribals and implementing appropriate development projects for the community.The delay will give rise to more tension and anxiety within the community that has already been deprived of traditional modes of livelihood. It will also open up more opportunities for unscrupulous elements to try and grab the land again in collusion with pliant forces within the government.Kumar Pushkar, Conservator of Forests (Bangalore Circle), Karnataka State Forest Department, told Express, “I will place a proposal before the Additional Chief Secretary of Forest Department and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests with solutions to regularise the communities. There are few mistakes with the prior notification. Keeping law in mind, best possible solution will be given to them. Both the government and the forest department are ready to give 350 acre land to the community. We are trying our best to help them immediately” said.Some years ago the forest department came with a proposal that if they cannot allot 350 acre in total at Ragihalli they will allot the same in some other place. But for the community people, re-location is the last resort. If they cannot be allotted 350 acre in total at Ragihalli, they are demanding the same at some other place which should be allotted only after getting their consent.Pushkar said that the 67 acre of land which is under litigation, will be handed over to the community once the litigation is settled in the court. But the community people claim that the High Court has directed the government to pass an appropriate order so that the rights of the Hakki Pikki’s and Iruliga’s over the land that has been denotified for the specific purpose of their rehabilitation and reconfirmed in several government level meetings over the years is established. Now the onus lies on the Revenue and Forest departments.Fed up by of all the promises given to them the community people said “We have been fighting for decades. We really need to be heard. Since the officers who take up our issue remain transferred we are forced to start a fresh appeal with the new ones who fill the posts. It seems that nobody wants to take any decision and we term it a bureaucratic inaction. If we are not heard for another ten days we have no option but to come out to streets and protest”.
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