Hakki Pikki community lauds MP for resolving land ownership battle

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Members of the Hakki Pikki and Iruliga communities, predominantly concentrated in Karnataka's districts of Shivamogga, Davanagere, Mysuru, and Bengaluru Urban, conveyed their gratitude on Thursday to Congress Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh for his timely assistance in providing them with title deeds after six decades of neglect and delays.

Representatives from the Society for Informal Education and Development Studies, along with Leo Saldhana from the Environmental Support Group, addressed the press on behalf of the community members.

They underscored the persistent efforts made to secure rights to 350 acres of land, which had been denotified from the Ragihallu State Forest in 1962 on the outskirts of Bannerghatta National Park for their resettlement.

These efforts culminated on August 12 when the MP distributed title deeds to 114 community members. DK Suresh also distributed revenue documents, encompassing Khatha, mutation, land patta, and pani, to corroborate the community's land ownership.

While acknowledging the challenges the community members surmounted to assert their rights, they also alleged that despite a state government gazette order denotifying the land explicitly for tribal rehabilitation purposes, it remained a mere formality throughout the 1960s.

This was despite notable developmental endeavors, including the construction of a residential colony and an ashram school. The challenges persisted.

Following the Wildlife Act of 1972 and the establishment of Bannerghatta National Park in 1974, the Forest Department endeavored to relocate them with alternative land but faced failure.

Their situation worsened due to the inaccurate citation of the Supreme Court's landmark Godavarman Judgment in 1996, further delaying their land acquisition process.

After an extended struggle and with the support of SIEDS, the Environmental Support Group, and legal experts, the land was eventually transferred to the community, designated as a No Development Zone.