Protesters give government one-month deadline
A large-scale protest was organised in Madikeri under the leadership of the All India Bahujan Samaj Party and the Nava Karnataka Nirmaan Andolana Samiti, demanding immediate allotment of five cents of land each to more than 60,000 landless poor people residing in Kodagu district without permanent housing.
The protesters issued a one-month deadline to the government and warned that a state-level agitation would be launched if their demands were not addressed satisfactorily. Among the key demands raised were the immediate removal of encroachments on government land by land grabbers and the reservation of 50 acres of land in every Gram Panchayat for distribution among the poor. The protesters also demanded that MLAs and district authorities personally visit Hoddur village in Madikeri taluk, B. Shettigeri in Ponnampet taluk, Chettalli Gram Panchayat limits and Kumbur village in Madapura to hear the grievances of those fighting for land rights.
The protesters further sought land allocation for 20,000 landless families in Virajpet and Ponnampet taluks and 6,500 poor families in Kushalnagar taluk. They also demanded the provision of basic amenities to poor households in Kakotuparambu, Halugunda, Bilibane, Bhagavathi Colony in Hoddur, Kumbaladalu and Nariyandada areas.
They urged the government to clear encroachments on public land and allot five acres of agricultural land to landless families. A memorandum outlining various demands, including provision of burial grounds, concrete roads, drinking water facilities, community halls and preservation and development of government schools, particularly in Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe colonies, was submitted to the Principal Secretary of the Revenue Department through Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr. Sahana S. Hadimani. Addressing the gathering, All India Bahujan Samaj Party Kodagu District President K. Monnappa alleged that elected representatives from Kodagu had failed to raise the issue of landless poor people in the Legislative Assembly. Despite protests being held across the district, he claimed that legislators had neither visited affected areas nor taken adequate steps to safeguard the interests of the poor.
He said that for many years, members of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities and daily wage labourers have been forced to live in huts and line houses without owning land. Despite repeated struggles for land rights, elected representatives and officials have remained indifferent to their plight.
State President of the All India Bahujan Samaj Party Marasandra Muniyappa, former Virajpet MLA H.D. Basavaraju, United Kisan Sabha State President D.S. Nirvanappa and Dalit Sangharsh Samiti State President Venkatagiriyayya also addressed the gathering. They alleged that successive governments have ignored the concerns of the poor while favouring the wealthy and criticised the failure of governments to address the suffering of disadvantaged communities. The speakers demanded repeal of the policy of granting encroached land to farmers on lease and called for such lands to be reclaimed and redistributed among landless families.
State Coordinator Gopinath, Treasurer R. Muniyappa, District General Secretary P.A. Kusumavathi, Vice-Presidents T. Jagadish Kiran and M. Madesh, Secretaries Shivappa and Sudeep, Dalit Sangharsh Samiti Ambedkar Sena State President N. Murthy, office bearer D. Chandru, several state and district-level leaders and a large number of landless residents participated in the protest.
