Udupi :   Udupi-Chikmagalur MP Jayaprakash Hegde and Karkala MLA Gopal Bhandari have clarified that the proposal to convert the Kudremukh National Park area into a tiger reserve was not before the Centre.

Addressing a joint press meet, the two leaders said  the Centre has not proposed the tiger reserve project. He chose to attribute the protest against the proposal to the conspiracy of a few vested interests. They are just trying to create fear  in the minds of the locals regarding eviction, he alleged.

Bhandary also said that the recent statement of Union Minister Jairam Ramesh during his visit to Dharmasthala, had said in a lighter vein that he will let  tigers into the forest to chase the Naxals and added the minister’s statement  has been misinterpreted.

He also claimed that he had personally spoken to the minister and clarified that there was no such proposal. He further said that the forest department came under the purview of the State government.

MP  Jayaprakash Hegde also made it clear that he too would join the fight of the locals in case a tiger reserve project was approved.

Earlier, hundreds of locals as well as farmers staged a protest against the Tiger reserve proposal.