The members of Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM) protested in Nellihudikeri recently, demanding the fulfilment of their various demands, including the withdrawal of the order to give encroached government land on lease basis at a low rate in Kodagu district, and the provision of housing to poor families who were staying in dangerous places.
Party leaders and workers gathered in front of Nellihudikeri GP and shouted slogans to fulfil their demands of the poor and labourers.
Speaking on the occasion, CPIM Secretary P.R. Bharath said that the governments which immediately make rules in favour of the rich, continue to ignore the poor and the labourers. He criticized that even though the CPIM party has been campaigning for the past many years demanding that the poor be provided with land or house, the people’s representatives and officials have not responded, he added.
He also said that in Nellihudikeri village, the poor families, labourers, estate workers, dalits, adivasis, minorities are living in rented houses since long. They have taken shelter in the line houses of estate. They are also living in dangerous places on the banks of rivers and hills. He also alleged that the Jita system is alive in the district and they are being cheated by not providing the minimum wages and basic facilities fixed by the government.
Speaking further he said in the district, in 2019, the families who lost their homes due to natural calamities should be provided with basic amenities in 8.5 acres of land under the jurisdiction of Valnur Village and demanded that for the existing families title deed should be given.
The protesters also demanded that people and agriculture should be protected from the wild animals. The roads of Nellihudikeri village should be asphalted or concreted, drains should be constructed immediately for the roads, public toilets should be constructed in Nellihudikeri town, encroached land should be cleared and given to landless poor and tribal families and houses should be built for them, he added.
Party district secretary H B Ramesh, members AK Chandran, K Shivaraman, Y Ravi, Boji, DT Udayan, Lalithamma, Yusuf, Abib, Kaveri, Saukat and others participated in the protest. A letter of demand was submitted to the government through Tehsildar Kiran Gouraiah.
Later, in a meeting held in the presence of officials, the demand for land, various issues and lack of basic facilities were discussed.
Kushalanagar Tehsildar Kiran Gouraiah, Revenue Inspector Santosh, Forest Zonal Officer Ratan, Forest Officer Subbaraya, PDO Nanjunda Swamy, Village Committee President Dhanalakshmi, Vice President Pramila and others were present in the meeting.
