Sharadamma, 85, went to her family-owned farm a few metres away from her home at Sadagal village in Hosanagar taluk, looking for cattle on November 5 afternoon. She took the wrong path and did not return home that day, leaving her family members worried.
She was traced about six kilometres away from her home in the forest nearby two days later, on November 7. By then, she had spent two nights and almost three days braving heavy rains. The local people, with the help of the police and forest officials, did succeed in tracing her and bringing her back to the village.
One of her relatives, H.K. Mahantesh, suspected she must have taken a path to her ancestral home, where she spent her childhood. The construction of the Madenur dam (Hirebhaskar dam) and Linganmakki dam across the Sharavathi river to generate electricity inundated many villages, forcing thousands of people like Sharadamma to move to different places. However, the backwaters that submerged physical structures failed to erase the memory of the people who underwent the agony of displacement.
Those who were forced to relocate still struggle to access basic facilities, while those who remained in their homes lead a life detached from the outside world. The Linganmakki dam created an island for the people of villages in Barangi and Karuru hoblis, cutting off road connectivity to their taluk headquarters, Sagar.
Dams and power generation
Sharavathi is one of the significant rivers of Karnataka. A major chunk of electricity generated in the State comes from hydroelectric power projects in the Sharavathi valley. The river Sharavathi originates at Ambutirtha village in Thirthahalli taluk and travels for about 130 km through Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts before reaching the Arabian Sea. The river takes an 830-foot plunge in four streams at Jog, creating a specular view.
The Mysuru state, under the rule of the Wadiyars, decided to construct the Madenur bridge across the river in 1939 with the intention of generating power. The dam submerged around 9,230 acres of agricultural land spread over 70 villages, besides 10,240 acres of forest land. The dam was commissioned in February 1948.
This was the first phase of displacement that the people of Sagar taluk suffered.
“There was hardly any relief provided for the people who lost their land because of the dam,” writes Satyanarayana G.T., former president of Tumari gram panchayat, in his book Appaiah, based on the life and struggles of his father Thimmaiah, now 80, who witnessed the developments surrounding the construction of dams.
“The people who were affected by the project were hardly consulted. The compensation they received was meagre. The administration made arrangements to shift their belongings. Those who once possessed fertile land and cultivated paddy moved to distant places where different agriculture practices prevailed,” he said.
People had not yet come out of the trauma following the construction of the Madenur dam when, in 1951, the State government came up with the plan for the construction of the Linganmakki dam, which would submerge not only several villages but the Madenur dam as well. Though the first dam displaced families, it did not create an island, cutting off the road link for the people in Karuru and Barangi hoblis. However, the second dam, designed with a storage capacity of 151 tmcft, submerged more area, resulting in the formation of an island.
An insensitive system
The project displaced 3,847 families settled in 152 villages in Hosanagar and Sagar taluks. The families were relocated to as far as Tarikere in Chikkamagaluru district. Many of them were relocated to parts of Shivamogga and Bhadravati taluks.
Noted writer and novelist Na. D’Souza, a resident of Sagar, has written extensively on those years. He watched the human suffering and the loopholes in the government administration that intensified the human suffering from close quarters. He has brought what he witnessed into his creative writing.
Mulugade (Submerge) is the title of one of his novels that narrates the incidents through the eyes of a staff member in the Department of Archaeology who travels around the villages affected by the project to protect the inscriptions before the water inundates the entire locality. In fact, in his writings, he records that many cattle returned to their original land within days after shifting.
The dark and bright sides
The project, however, boosted the production of electricity and provided light for millions of houses across Karnataka. Hence, Sathyanarayana G.T. of Karuru, a village on the Linganmakki backwaters, calls it Shakthi Nadi.
“If you call Cauvery Jeeva Nadi, Sharavathi river deserves the title Shakti Nadi. It has been providing power for industries and houses across the State,” he said. But he is disappointed by the fact that the State, which has benefited from the power generation, has neglected the people who sacrificed their land for the project.
The disappointing fact is that the families who gave up their land and faced displacement to brighten the State with electricity continue to remain in darkness. More than 20,000 residents in the villages of the two hoblis are dependent on ferries to cross the backwaters.
The Department of Ports and Inland Water Transport has arranged ferries at three locations — Holebagilu, Hasirumakki and Muppane — for the benefit of the people. The ferries that operate during the day carry people and vehicles. However, at night, there is no transportation facility. There is hardly any health facility on the island in case of an emergency. The alternative route to reach the taluk centre takes hours.
Fortunately, after many years of struggle, the construction of bridges across the Linganmakki backwaters has begun. The Central Government is building one bridge at a cost of ₹423 crore. It is expected to benefit people visiting the famous Sigandur temple and people in the Tumari region.
Similarly, construction of the Hasirumakki bridge, which connects Sagar-Hosanagar taluks, is underway. The local people have been demanding the completion of the two projects on time so that the difficulty of reaching the taluk centres is resolved.
Besides the lack of transport facilities, the residents also face issues with telephone connectivity. They hardly get access to the internet. During the COVID-19 lockdown, students on the island faced difficulty attending online classes. Shivamogga Lok Sabha member B.Y. Raghavendra has promised to resolve the issue within a few months.
On the other hand, those who moved to different places following the construction of the dam continue to face problems. Residents of Uralagallu village, located on hilly terrain in Sagar taluk, bordering Uttara Kannada, were affected by the construction of the dam. They settled in Uralagallu about 60 years ago. Since then, they have not had a power connection. Forget ministers, for several years, no government official visited this village. To reach the nearest bus stop, the villagers have to walk for about 10 km in a forest.
Demands of the affected people
Similar is the plight of residents of Meghane village, located atop a hillock amidst lush greenery. After repeated efforts over several years, the village got electricity in 2006. But there is no proper road to the village. According to local residents, many pregnant women delivered babies during the tough 5.5-km journey to the nearest hospital.
Residents have written to all those in responsible positions, including the Prime Minister, demanding a road for the village. But there is no sign of a road. People who were relocated to Shettihalli near Shivamogga got power connections a few days ago.
All these difficulties arise because of the rules that restrict development activities in the forest region. Even after intervention by elected representatives, the problems remain unresolved.
“The people displaced are caught in multiple legal hurdles with regard to land they have been cultivating,” said K.P. Sripal, advocate and social activist in Shivamogga. For decades, many did not get alternative land. The government did not show them the exact land they were allotted. There are multiple claims for each piece of land, forcing the allottees to fight with each other in court, he said.
In every election, the grant of land to displaced persons is the major issue in Shivamogga. The State government’s move to legalise the grant by de-reserving the forest land has been quashed by court orders. Even after several decades of dam construction, affected people continue to demand alternative land.
People, both on the island and outside, argue that they are not compensated for the loss they suffered from the hydroelectric power projects. Even if a small portion of the profit earned by selling the power generated in Sharavathi Valley were allocated for the benefit of people who gave up their land for the projects, they would have had minimum facilities by now.
