Forest Department bars farmers from rearing more cattle

Chamarajanagara: The state government is encouraging farmers to rear more cattle and make life beautiful. On the contrary, the Forest Department in Gopinatham in Hanur taluk of the Chamarajanagara district has issued notice to farmers not to raise more cows and goats. The notices were pasted in public places of Gopinatham village.

The Forest Department has given an advice to the villagers including Gopinatham under Cauvery wildlife sanctuary, that they should keep only as many cows and goats as necessary and move the excess elsewhere. The Department said that forest is being destroyed as the cattle is being released into the forest.

When the higher officials team visited the Gopinatham forest zone for two days, they objected to the presence of more cattle. Cows and goats should be kept as much as required for cultivation and the rest should be transported elsewhere. It has been warned that legal action will be taken if cattle and goats are left in the forest. But the notice attracted widespread condemnation from farmers.

Honnur Prakash, the leader of the farmers' union, expressed his anger at this notice given by the Department. He said that 'if the Forest Department says that they live only by eating trees, and don't need rice , then we will not rear cows. The government has made an act called Cow Protection, but the Department is telling us not to rear cows'.

Even though the Supreme Court has said that Forest Department should allow cattle to graze in forest , it still has given this notice. He warned that if the notice is not withdrawn in another week, they will protest fiercely. The villagers have expressed anger and anxiety due to this controversial notice and the forest department's new policy has angered the locals.