Kodagu clamps down on commercialisation, 693 applications to convert land rejected

After the devastating floods and landslides in Kodagu last year, authorities in the hilly district have woken up to the rampant deforestation and conversion of green spaces for commercial projects.

In November 2018, the Karnataka government decided to halt conversion of agricultural land for commercial purposes until strict guidelines for land use in the district are framed. 

In the last five months, the district administration has rejected 693 applications to convert land for commercial use. "Based on the directive issued by the state government, we have not accepted 693 applications to convert land for commercial use in the last five months. We have informed the applicants that we can consider the applications after the state government forms strict guidelines for land use," Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani told TNM. 

The state government had issued the order after multiple agencies including the Geographical Survey of India (GSI) which visited 85 landslide-affected sites in Kodagu, recommended that developmental activities in the district at the expense of green cover was one of the main reasons for the devastation caused last year. Over the last 10 years, about 2,800 acres of coffee plantations and paddy fields in Kodagu have been converted for commercial use. No action has yet been taken on land converted prior to the floods and landslides. 

Rebuilding work at Hemmethalu, Kodagu

The decision to put a halt to the conversion was welcomed by activists and residents in Kodagu. "We definitely need this to stop the rapid urbanisation of Kodagu. This is long overdue and we are against the conversion of land for commercial use," said Col. Cheppudira Muthanna, President of the Coorg Wildlife Society. 

The hilly district received over 200 mm rainfall on three consecutive days in August 2018, according to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC). The heavy rainfall was the highest received by the district in 118 years and it displaced almost 7000 people who were housed in 55 relief camps set up by the district authorities. The landslides also took the lives of 18 people. 

Relief camp in Sampaje, Kodagu

However, the district administration has recommended that permission could be granted for conversion of land for building individual houses. "We had given a recommendation that individual houses wherever it is not a vulnerable area and is a stable area and if it is 15-20 cents, the permission can be given," said Annies.

"While we are totally against commercial conversion of land, we do not want that to affect genuine cases where people want to construct a house or a labour line," added Col. Muthanna.  

On Friday, several officials including Rajkumar Khatri, Principal Secretary of the Revenue Department (Disaster Management) visited the rehabilitation homes constructed at Karnangeri in Madikeri taluk for 427 families affected by the landslides. The officials have also taken measures to prepare themselves ahead of the monsoon season this year.  A control room has been set up at the Deputy Commissioner's office while National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and GSI officials along with district officials have taken precautionary measures with relation to setting up relief camps in the district. 

Photographs by Dhruv Khanna