TNPSC Thervupettagam

Kalvarayan hills overexploitation – Jagirdars

August 27 , 2024 13 hrs 0 min 28 0
  • Kalvarayan hills were overexploited by three of its Jagirdars (mini rulers) before the State government takeover in 1976.
  • It is spread over 78,000 hectares in the eastern ghats.
  • The Kalvarayan hills were spread over 600 square kilometres across Kallakurichi, Salem, Tiruvannamalai and Dharmapuri districts.
  • They had an elevation ranging from 600 to 900 metres.
  • The hills were ruled by the Jagirdhars Jadayak Goundan, Ariyak Goundan and Kurumba Goundan for long time.
  • But the Inam Estates (Abolition and Conversion into Ryotwari) Act of 1963 was intended to abolish the Jagirs.
  • The State government passed an order on December 31, 1965 for taking control of the Kalvarayan hills under the 1963 Act.
  • The legal battle ended only in 1976 when the cases were withdrawn and the government finally took over the lands on August 25, 1976.
  • These hills had a population of around 20,000 people as per the 2011 census.

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