Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Aug 16: Several sheds which had come up in a site that had been set aside for landless poor, were evicted in the presence of police force on Thursday August 14. The incident occurred at Kenchanur within Hattiangady panchayat limits in the taluk.

An acre of government land bearing survey number 99 in Kenchanur village had been earmarked in the past for sanctioning house sites to ten persons. Out of these ten allottees, only three had built their houses there. The department, taking note of this violation, had taken steps to cancel the remaining seven title deeds and issue them afresh to other eligible beneficiaries. But some locals tried to stymie this process by illegally entering this land and beginning to set up houses there.

After the district deputy commissioner received this information, the gram panchayat officials and village accountant were rushed to the spot for clearing encroachments. As the locals offered stiff resistance to the move of the officials to evict them, police help was sought.

The locals, who blocked attempts being made under the leadership of village accountant, Kantaraju, for razing the sheds, entered into heated arguments with him. They said they had been told to earmark sites and construct houses at the spot by the vice president of Hattinangady gram panchayat. They also said they had applied to the panchayat for the allotment of house sites at that place.

The village accountant pacified them by explaining that their applications are under consideration, and that sites will be allotted to them in course of time. He convinced them that the move of building houses before due process is completed and sites are allotted by the government, was an offence in the eyes of law. The eviction proceedings moved ahead smoothly thereafter.

Kantaraju said he intends to file complaints against some of the locals for blocking him from discharging his duties on behalf of the government. Hattinangady gram panchayat vice president, Rajeev Shetty Kenchanur, secretary, Renuka Hegde, and village assistant, Sanjeeva, were among those present.