Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, Sep 12: Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa informed here on Thursday September 11 that the government has withdrawn its earlier decision to hand over Amrutha Mahal Kaval of Ajjampur in Chikmagalur district, to Ramachandrapur Math for maintenance and development, because of strong opposition from the elected representatives and local people.

Giving this information to reporters at his home office 'Krishna', he said that a committee to oversee Amrutha Mahal Kaval operations will be formed to achieve its development.

It may be recalled that the government had taken a decision to hand over the above breeding centre of Amrutha Mahal species of bovine animals to the Math, as the centre had been neglected since long and as the Math has taken up a project to promote indigenous species of cows. The present decision has come as an embarrassment for the government, after the repeated assertions of the chief minister as well as energy minister K S Eshwarappa that the decision to hand over management of the Kaval to Ramachandrapur Math was final and that it would not be withdrawn at any cost.

"We had taken a decision to bring the Kaval under Ramachandrapur Math, as hundreds of acres of land belonging to the Kaval has been encroached upon, and it is not being maintained properly. At present, the Kaval does not have cows belonging to Amrutha Mahal breed and we wished to promote development of indigenous breeds of cows. However, as we encountered unexpected opposition, we have gone back on this issue, he explained.