Mangaluru: Shashidhar Malekudiya and Poovappa Malekudiya have over the years approached every possible official, elected representative and political leader for a proper road, electricity and a title deed for their village, Kuthlur, situated within the Kudremukh National Park limits, but in vain.
But on Sunday, their hopes were raised as the Dakshina Kannada Working Journalists Union along with Belthangady Taluk Working Journalists Union organised a ‘Patrakartara Gramavastavya’ (village stay by journalists) at the village on Sunday. “We don't have electricity, no proper roads and many families don’t have title deeds. We had placed these demands before various officials and politicians, but failed to get any solution. This time, however, we hope that our problems will be solved as journalists have provided us a platform,” Shashidhar told Deccan Chronicle.
Another villager, Krishnappa Poojary, too hoped that most of their problems would be solved.
If the village stays of politicians are organised with much fanfare, the initiative by journalists is a silent revolution aimed at bringing legislators and officials to remote villages, the organisers said. The aim is to understand and solve the problems of remote villages in Dakshina Kannada district. Kuthlur in Belthangady taluk is the first identified under the programme.
In all, 71 applications related to various problems were submitted at the meeting on Sunday. There were separate interactive sessions between villagers and officials, villagers and journalists and villagers and elected representatives. Most of the problems were related to lack of power supply, transportation, roads and title deeds.
As title deeds have to be given under the Forest Dwellers Act, activist Shekhar Laila pointed to district in-charge minister U.T. Khader the failure of officials in implementing the Act and demanded that the officials responsible be punished. MLA Harish Poonja asked Puttur Sub-Division Assistant Commissioner Krishnamurthy to appoint a nodal officer to monitor and follow up all the applications received. Mr Krishnamurthy assured the villagers that a meeting will be held on Saturday to resolve all the issues raised.
Minister Khader directed the officials to solve the problems at the earliest.
