Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre distributing a cheque to a family voluntarily rehabilitated from the jurisdiction of Kudremukh National Park, during a function at Kadri Park, in Mangaluru on Sunday.

| Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH

Minister for Forest, Environment and Ecology Eshwar Khandre on Sunday distributed cheques — amounting to ₹2.09 crore in total — to five families for relocating from the Kudremukh National Park (KNP) area.Distributing the cheques during the two-day cashew mela at Kadri Park, a programme organised by the Karnataka Cashew Development Corporation (KCDC), the Minister said that the five families had voluntarily agreed to relocate under the KNP rehabilitation package.Those given cheques included the wives of two persons, late Harish Shetty and late Umesh Gowda, who were killed in an elephant attack near Kerekatte (Sringeri) under the Kudremukh Wildlife Division on October 31, 2025. Of them, Asha Shetty, wife of late Shetty, was given a cheque for ₹55.56 lakh, and Usha, wife of late Gowda, was handed a cheque for ₹25.38 lakh.In addition, Ramesh of Sringeri received a cheque for ₹56.23 lakh, Jalajamma of Keregadde (Sringeri) got ₹36.36 lakh, and Sharada of Keregrama (Sringeri) was given ₹36.16 lakh.Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said the government had sanctioned ₹2.38 crore for 2025-26 for the relocation of families, of which ₹2.09 crore has now been distributed. In addition, the government has sanctioned ₹20 crore for relocation under the package during 2026-27.He said 350 of the 1,300 families within the KNP have been relocated after being compensated under the package, while another 300 families have applied for relocation and will be shifted in phases.Efforts will be made to relocate the remaining families if they come forward voluntarily, he said.The Minister said that, considering the condition of the families of those who died in last year’s elephant attack, two persons from those families were employed in the Forest Department on an outsourced basis on humanitarian grounds. In addition, each family was given ₹20 lakh as compensation.He said that, to mitigate human-animal conflict, the government has sanctioned a 25-member elephant task force for Dakshina Kannada. The personnel have been trained. Published - May 17, 2026 07:54 pm IST