Soliga tribals of BR Hills protest against notification of revenue land as forest

CHAMARAJANAGAR: Soliga tribals from three settlements in Biligiri Rangana Betta (BR Hills) in Yelandur taluk staged protest against a move by the district administration and the Forest Department to notify a piece of revenue land as forest land.

The villagers took out a march and staged a sit-in at the gram panchayat office under the pouring rain. They demanded that the issue should be sorted out at the earliest. The protesters belonged to the Banglepodu, Yarakanagadde and Seegebettadapodu settlements.

They staged a sit-in in front of the gram panchayat office.

The Soligas claimed that revenue land on Survey No. 1.3.5.4 was granted to them in 1963 by then Chief Minister S Nijalingappa for cultivation and said that since then, they have been farming on that land. However, the piece of land was suddenly notified as forest land, they said.