Meera Bhardwaj:
The destruction of verdant hills and hillocks around Jakkalamadugu Dam near Bengaluru continues unabated. Just 60 kilometres north of Bengaluru, the Jakkalamadugu Dam serves as the main source of drinking water for the towns of Chikkaballapur and Doddaballapur even as hillocks (that serve as water source) are being razed to the ground by the land mafia.
Local residents, activists and environmentalists from Chikkaballapur district call upon the state government for a comprehensive inquiry and a joint survey of the gomaala lands around the Jakkalamadugu Dam by revenue and forest departments.
They further demand action against land grabbers, real estate mafia and punishment of people in possession of illegal land documents of gomaala lands around the dam.
DRINKING WATER SOURCE
The Jakkalamadugu Dam was engineered by Sir M Visveswaraya in 1955 and later, it was renovated in 2004 to enhance its water holding capacity. Now it stands at a height of 48 feet. The brimming dam gets its water sourced from the streams originating in the surrounding green hillocks, hills and of course, the Nandi Hills which is just 20 kilometres away.
The dam and its surrounding hills are a nature’s paradise as it is home to a diverse flora and fauna including leopards, wild boars, peacocks and many bird species. Local resident of Chikkaballapur told Green Minute although destruction of hills started a few years back, now it has become acute with almost 300-400 acres of Gomaala land being diverted and grabbed by real estate mafia from outside the district. This land is neither cultivable nor fit for growing crops but in the name of farmers, land grabbing is going on unabated.
LAND GRABBING MAFIA
Hundreds of acres around this dam in Chikkaballapur district are now razed to the ground by land grabbers in connivance with the revenue department, says R Anjaneya Reddy, Working President, Rajya Parisara Karyakartara Sanghatane.
Reddy adds, “There is an urgent need for a comprehensive inquiry as well as joint survey of these gomaala lands around the Jakkalamadugu Dam by the Revenue and Forest Departments. Under the guise of “Bagar hukum” and posing as farmers, the real estate mafia and city builders are grabbing hundreds of acres of precious gomaala land. These verdant hills, water channels, hillocks around the dam are the main water source for the Jakkalamadugu Dam and further, recharge the ground water.”
ILLEGAL LAND DOCUMENT CREATION
The region around the Jakkalamadugu Dam, which is surrounded by ecologically critical hills, is under severe threat due to illegal encroachments and land misuse by vested interests and powerful people.
Anjaneya Reddy further informed that villagers here hardly own half an acre or more but people from nearby cities like Bengaluru are coming here to bulldoze the hills and apply for regularization in cahoots with the revenue officials. All land documents have been illegally created for building resorts and homestays as this is a very scenic place attracting tourists and is very near to Nandi Hills.
LAND GRABBING OF ECO-SENSITIVE AREAS
In the villages of Balenahalli, Kallukote, and Nallakadirenahalli, hundreds of acres of gomaala lands and hills are being encroached by land grabbers. Illegal land levelling, bulldozing of hills, hillocks, unauthorized construction activities, large-scale deforestation and destruction of natural habitats as also disruption of wildlife corridors and water flow routes continues unabated.
Vijay Nishant, urban conservator and Bangalore Biodiversity Board member adds, “If such an activity is not stopped immediately, it will result in permanent ecological loss, drying up of lakes and severe water scarcity. Further, this will be compounded by increased natural calamities like flash floods, drought, escalation in human-wildlife conflict, violation of land use and forest conservation and wildlife protection laws.”
ECOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE
- They are natural groundwater recharge zones, supporting water bodies in the region.
- They serve as natural corridors, linkages for nearby lakes and other water bodies.
- They are home to rich biodiversity, leopards, peacocks, wild boars, and endemic bird species.
- They provide natural climate resilience by preventing soil erosion, floods, and drought.
APPEAL TO STATE GOVERNMENT
Appealing to the chief minister, deputy chief minister, forest minister and revenue minister, activists and local people have requested the Karnataka Government to immediately conduct survey and legally demarcate all gomaala and revenue lands in the affected villages of Chikkaballapur taluk.
They further request deployment of forest and enforcement teams to stop the ongoing destruction of hills and gomaala lands and prevent future encroachments.
PROSECUTE THE LAND GRABBERS
A local resident stresses, “The land grabbers have to be identified, booked and prosecuted as they are involved in illegal activities like land grabbing and deforestation. Further, there is an urgent need to restore and protect the ecological sanctity of these vital hills and dam catchment area through afforestation and conservation programs.”
Last but not the least, there is need to declare the hills, hillocks and grasslands around Jakkalamadugu Dam as eco-sensitive areas to safeguard against any future exploitation, they opine.