From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Jan 24: The Centre’s move to declare Kudremukh National Park in Chikkamagaluru district as a tiger reserve has been kept in abeyance by the Karnataka government.

However, the Siddaramaiah regime’s move to nix the Centre’s proposal is not a Congress versus Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

The proposal to declare Kudremukh National Park as a tiger reserve was mooted and sent to the Centre by the previous BJP regime in Karnataka. The then Congess-led UPA regime had cleared the proposal from the State.

But with the Congress returning to power in the 2013 assembly elections, the Siddaramaiah regime has decided to put on hold the move to declare Kudremukh National Park as a tiger reserve in view of the series of demands and representations from the large number of tribal families living in the vicinity of the Kudremukh National Park in the Western Ghats since several generations.

''Treating the entire issue from a humanitarian angle, the State Government has decided to keep the proposal in abeyance as it would be inhuman to displace and forcibly evict the tribals from their habitat,’’ said Karnataka’s Forest Minister B RamanathRai.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Friday, Rai said a total of 1385 families had been residing in the Park area.

Of these tribal family, barely 119 families had been relocated and 458 families had voluntarily agreed to relocate, he said.

Asked about encroachment of forest area for developing a resort by SatishGowda in Chikmagalur, the minister said Gowda had not encroached upon the forest land.

But, the resort was developed without obtaining the permission from authorities concerned, Rai said.