Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Jan 29: It may sound unbelievable, but it's true. A man has been living in the forests of Sullia for the past 15 years, with only a car to call his home. The reason - he lost two acres of land and his house after he failed to pay off a loan to a cooperative society.

This is the story of Chandrashekar Gowda (43) of Noojalu. A driver by profession, he had taken a short-term loan and two crop loans totalling Rs 50,400 from Nellur Kemraje Cooperative Society in 1999. When he was unable to pay back the loan, the cooperative society sent him notice and followed it up with auctioning of his 2.29 acres of his land in October 2002 for Rs 1.2 lac. After deducting the amount that Chandrashekar was supposed to pay, the society kept an amount of Rs 11,000 for him, but he never collected it.

Thereafter, on June 21, 2003, he was evicted with police help and his house was demolished. Chandrashekar, who had earlier been living with his three brothers, two sisters and parents, stayed in his sister's house for a brief while. He then bought a car from a lawyer in Sullia and having parked it in a clearing on the edge of the forests of Bedrupane in Arantodu, he made it his home. He weaved baskets to earn a living, travelling 21 km to Sullia every week to sell them at Rs 40 per basket.

After Chandrashekar's story came to light through the local media, deputy commissioner A B Ibrahim took special interest in the case and visited the man at his car-turned-abode in Arantodu last week. Chandrashekar narrated his story to the DC and said that injustice had been done to him in the way his land had been auctioned. The DC invited Chandrashekar to Mangaluru for a detailed discussion on how his situation could be improved.

Accordingly, a meeting was held at the DC's office here on Thursday January 28 with Chandrashekar in attendance. A B Ibrahim said that he would pursue the possibility of regalulizing an additional one acre of land next to the two acres which had been auctioned by the cooperative society. The DC's assurance brought a smile to Chandrashekar's face.

The DC also urged Chandrashekar to live in Mangaluru and sell his baskets at Pilikula Nasargadhama for a living, but he turned down the suggestion.

DC Ibrahim also offered free legal counsel to Chandrashekar on behalf of the government to fight the case against the cooperative society, based on a complaint filed by Chandrashekar that injustice had been done to him. The DC said that though the cooperative society had been right in claiming back the loan, there were discrepancies in the manner in which Chandrashekar's land was auctioned.

Representatives of Nelluru Kemraje Cooperative Society, psychiatrist Dr Ravish Thunga, social worker Hilda Rayappan and superintendent of police Dr Sharanappa and others were present during the meeting.

Dr Ravish Tunga interacted with Chandrashekar for nearly 45 minutes to access his mental fitness. After the interaction, Dr Tunga said that Chandrashekar seemed to be disturbed and needed to undergo some tests. Dr Rajeshwari Devi of Wenlock Hospital was directed to make arrangements for the necessary tests. Dr Ravish Tunga said that with Chandrashekar's approval, he would be given medical treatment and brought back to normal health.

The DC said that efforts would be made to convince Chandrashekar to start a new life in Mangaluru, and legal aid would be extended to him.