Tuesday,
Sep 3, 2013, 13:55 IST | Place: Bangalore, Chitradurga | Agency: DNA
Competition
put off by six months; local residents set to protest today against
the allotment of land to DRDO, IISc and BARC.
 |
|
The drought-prone
Amruta Mahal grazing reserve are perhaps the largest grazing grounds
in the state. - DNA
|
Organisers
of the MICAV-2013, a national level competition for Micro Air
Vehicles (MAVs) at the DRDO Test Range complex at Challakere in
Chitradurga district, announced that the competition, scheduled to be
held between June 17 and 19, would now be held in December.
The
competition was postponed owing to opposition from the local
residents and environment groups that are protesting allotment of the
grazing land for Amruta Mahal breed of cattle, to three organization
- Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO), Indian Institute
of Science(IISc) and Bhaba Atomic Research Centre (BARC).
The
protesters who are planning a massive rally on Tuesday want the land
to be reserved exclusively as grazing fields for Amrit Mahal breed of
cattle.
Fourteen
teams, including city-based engineering colleges and institutions,
private aerospace companies and defence laboratories, will
participate in the MAV competition. The organisers also announced
that more teams can participate in the competition through wild card
entry.
“Based
on repeated requests from various competing teams from across the
country, the organising committee meeting of the competition has
decided to allow the participation of additional teams through wild
card entry,” said one of the organisers.
Interested
teams should register online by submitting their proposal along with
photos and video links in PDF format on or before September 15. The
shortlisted teams should be ready to give a flying demonstration in
Bangalore scheduled during the first week of October.
Protest
rally
The Jilla Amritmahal Kaval Horata Samiti, Chitradurga, which is opposing the Test Range Complex, said about 3,000 people of more than 40 villages are going to walk to Challakere to oppose the project, which they state would cause harm to the fragile environment and their livelihood.
“The
land has been allotted by the government without holding any public
hearing. The proposed projects coming up on those lands were or
highly scientific and strategic nature and will have no employment to
offer to the local villagers.
The
local people are now facing serious threat on their established
livelihood on one hand and on the other they would face uncertain
future due to lack of skills and ability to get skilled jobs” said
Vinay Srinivasa of the Horata Samithi.
The
Amruta Mahal grazing reserve are perhaps the largest grazing grounds
in the state, if not in the country. The grazing reserve for Amruta
Mahal cows and bulls endemic to Challakere, created over four
centuries ago, extends to over 10,000 acres.
This
expanse of land has now been walled and given away to DRDO, IISc and
BARC. What worries the local people is that over 50,000 of them in 80
villages in Challakere stand to lose their livelihoods. “Being an
arid land mass, Chitradurga in general and Challakere in particular,
people here make a livelihood by animal husbandry. About 80% of the
people are either shepherds or cowherds,” said president of the
district Amrit Mahal Kaval Horata Samithi Dodda Ullarthi Kariyanna.
Travelling
through the district, some of the areas resemble African shrub lands
during the drought. “It always looks like this, we get only one or
two showers in a year, which is just enough to get us some drinking
water and grazing fields to get some greenery.
The
diversion of grazing fields for infrastructure, defence and
industrial purposes comes at a time when the Amrit Mahal breed of
cattle were already showing decline in population,” said
Shantakumar, secretary of the Samithi.
“We
are sure that none of us will get any benefits out of these projects
and many of us will have to migrate to bigger cities and work as
casual labourers,” said Bharamappa of Nayakanahatti village in
Challakere taluk.
©2013
Diligent Media Corporation Ltd.
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