The Anti-Land Leasing Committee held a massive protest march in Madikeri recently demanding that the ‘Land Leasing Act’, which provides land on lease basis to those encroaching on government land, should be withdrawn and the encroachments should be cleared and distributed to the exploited families whoare without land.
Leaders of various organisations and hundreds of people who were without land and homes took out a massive protest march from Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa Circle to the Kodagu Deputy Commissioner (DC) office and condemned the government’s action.
The landless people protested in front of the DC’s office with the slogan ‘Numma Bhoomi Namma Hakku’.On this occasion various leaders of different organizations demanded that the government should wake up and have to take proper action to provide encroached government land to the landless people.
Speaking on the occasion D.S.Nirvanappa, President of the Anti-Land Leasing Committee, said that the Land Leasing Act was implemented by the previous BJP government. He expressed displeasure that the present Congress government, which was elected by the votes of the majority including Dalits, Adivasis and the working class, is implementing the lease act.
Speaking further he said that Under the Land Leasing Act, it is wrong to give a lease of up to 25 acres for 30 years to those who are encroaching on government land for Rs 1,000 per acre. Two MLAs of the district whom we have elected for the assembly instead of trying to roll back the Land Lease Act, they are now supporting the act D.S. Nirvanappa alleged.
He also said that more than five thousand tribal families in the district are living a miserable life as daily wage labourers in line houses, without their own house and deprived of basic amenities. Nirvanappa criticized the government for not showing the least concern for providing them at least a home for them.
S. Nirvanappa also informed that if the government does not give appropriate response to our struggle, thousands of homeless people will protest ‘Vidhana Soudha Chalo’ and clarified that their struggle will continue till the homeless people get justice.
In the protest, the organizers of the Anti-Land Leasing Struggle Committee, K. Monnappa, organizers Ramesh Mayamudi, Ramesh, H.E. Sannappa, committee leader T.N. Govindappa, labour leader P.R. Bharat and various leaders and participated.
