Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SS)

Mangalore, Nov 7: The Karnataka Pranta Raita Sangha (KPRS) staged a protest in front of the deputy commissioner’s office here on Thursday November 7, to urge the district administration and the government to fulfill various demands of the farmers and the labourers.

The protesters urged the government to provide housing sites and title deeds to all the poor landless families who have been residing for years together on governmental lands, but due to lack of knowledge and illiteracy have not got an opportunity to claim the land.

K R Shriyan the district president of Karnataka Pranta Raita Sangha (KPRS) said, “For the past 3 years, more than 10,000 pleas were made to the BJP government and also to the successive Congress government, but neither of them have worked for the welfare of these poor landless people.”

"As the land has not been registered, it is facilitating the government to transfer the land rights from farmers and farm labourers to industrialists and entrepreneurs. Moreover without registration there is no house number given, the farmers don’t have a ration card because of which they have been unable to make use of the facilities provided by the government," he added.

According to Karnataka Pranta Raita Sangha (KPRS), the government plans to evict nearly 25 lac farmers from 70 lac acres to create land banks that will benefit industries. The KPRS urged the government, to set up land distribution committees and issue title deeds for dalits, farmers and farm labourers. The government had declared 1,256 acres of land in each district to be reserved for the landless farmers, but the KPRS alleged that the district panchayat has not properly allotted the land as declared by the government.

During the protest the members of Karnataka Pranta Raita Sangha (KPRS) insisted the government to accept their plea and allot houses for the landless with proper agreement and to provide an opportunity to re-submit the registration papers or title deeds for their respective lands.

K Yadava Shetty district secretary of Karnataka Pranta Raita Sangha (KPRS), Ramana Vittal, Narayan and other members of Karnataka Pranta Raita Sangha (KPRS) were present during the protest.