Madikeri: Ekikarana Ranga (KER), an environmental organisation, has demanded that encroachers on temple and sacred grove land linked to Talacauvery-Bhagamandala Bhagandeshwara and Bellarikamma temples at Anajana Bettageri village in Somwarpet taluk voluntarily vacate the encroached places.Addressing reporters on Saturday, KER treasurer Mandaneravanda Appachu said that 158.2 acres belonging to the Sri Bhagandeshwara and Talacauvery temples, situated in Tavoor, Tannimani, and Bhagamandala hobli, were encroached upon.He said documents obtained under the Right to Information Act were used to seek govt action, but alleged that pressure was exerted on them, and that the file later went missing.A complaint was then filed with the Lokayukta on Jan 23, 2023. Following Lokayukta’s directions, the assistant director of land records conducted a survey and submitted a report to the temple committee executive officers identifying encroachers and the extent of encroachment, but no action has been taken yet, he claimed.Appachu also said that a complaint was filed on July 23, 2024, with the Kushalnagar divisional range forest officer regarding the encroachment of the Basti Devarakadu (sacred grove) and Aiyappa Devarakadu belonging to Sri Bellarikamma Temple in Anjanageri Bettageri village of Somwarpet taluk. Based on the tahsildar’s instructions, revenue and forest department officials conducted a joint survey and reported encroachment of 12.5 acres.Kodagu Gowda Samaj Association, Kodagu District Bunts Association and Brahmin Education Development associations have separately appealed to members of their respective communities to voluntarily vacate temple and sacred grove forest land that has been encroached. He urged temple authorities and public-minded organisations to provide social leadership and persuade encroachers to leave.He warned that if encroachers do not vacate voluntarily, the govt and district administration may be compelled to evict them. He also sought disciplinary action against the forest officers concerned for having neglected the public complaint by not taking action so far.KER secretary Telapanda Pramod Somaiah said the organisation was seeking the release of encroached Devarakadu land across the district. Convener Ajjinanda Thammu Poovaiah said the group had been fighting since 1991 to protect Devarakadu, which shrank from 19,000 acres to about 5,000 acres, and said the remaining area must be safeguarded.
