Bhatkal: As the proposal to allocate 30 acres of forest land for the Beena Vaidya Medical College and Multispeciality Hospital in Bailur gains traction, senior High Court advocate and Bhatkal native Nagendra Naik has written to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, urging the government to simultaneously consider the long-standing demands of forest-dwelling and haadi-residing families in Uttara Kannada district.

In his detailed letter dated May 30, 2025, Advocate Naik welcomed the proposal spearheaded by District In-charge Minister and Bhatkal MLA Mankal Vaidya, but highlighted what he called a double standard in how land allocation is handled—favoring powerful institutions while ignoring the legitimate claims of ordinary citizens.

The Gram Sabha of Bailur recently approved the land proposal following recommendations from the Social Welfare Department. However, Naik emphasized that this marked a rare instance where officials placed a forest land request before the Gram Sabha for approval—something not done in the case of thousands of poor residents whose land regularization appeals remain pending.

“If 30 acres of forest land can be considered for a private medical institution, why can’t a few gunta of land be allocated to families who have been living on encroached forest and haadi (revenue settlement) lands for decades?" Naik questioned in his letter, pointing to thousands of applications from forest dwellers and landless villagers that have been denied under various schemes, including the Akrama-Sakrama land regularization initiative.

Naik noted that a vast portion of Uttara Kannada is classified as forest land, leaving very limited revenue land available for habitation. With growing population demands, he argued that it is the constitutional duty of the government to ensure housing for all—especially when residents qualify under various legal provisions, including Sections 94(A) to 94(D) of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act and the Forest Rights Act (FRA).

He cited a 2021 case in Bhatkal taluk where 77 haadi residents’ applications were summarily rejected by the tehsildar without due legal review or ground inspection—calling it a blatant violation of legal and administrative norms.

The letter also pointed out that residents of forest areas in the district have historically not destroyed the forests, but instead engaged in sustainable agriculture. “These people haven’t commercially exploited the land. Their claims should be recognized with Central Government approval under FRA,” Naik wrote, also referencing the high land value in tourism-prone areas like Murdeshwar, where land prices range from ₹3 to ₹7 lakh per gunta.

In a video message posted on Facebook, Naik clarified his position in response to recent remarks by Block Congress President Venkatesh Naik, who had reportedly implied opposition to the medical college project.

“I’m not opposing the hospital. On the contrary, I fully support the establishment of a medical college—it is essential for the district. But justice must be equal. If a large-scale project is being considered, let it also become a moment to resolve the grievances of the thousands who’ve lived without land titles for generations,” he said. “This is the right time to also do justice for thousands whose applications have been denied for decades.”

Naik appealed to the government to forward both proposals—one for the medical college and another for the forest dwellers’ rights—to the central government together.

“Let the poor also benefit alongside large-scale development projects. This is what real inclusive governance should look like,” he added.