Mangaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah may have confessed to having a partiality for the AHINDA cause, but this has not helped hundreds of poor Dalit families along the state's coast,who are still waiting to get ownership of the land reserved for them by the British when they ruled the country, about 80 years ago.
It was in 1932 that the Madras Presidency marked land in all villages of South Kanara district (including Udupi) for the Dalits as Depressed Class Reserve Land, or DC Manna Land as it is more commonly known. But hundreds of Dalit families are still waiting to get their hands on their land and on Monday several of them held a protest before the office of Deputy Commissioner, Dr K G Jagadeesha. They were also demanding the DC's transfer for recently walking out of an SC/ST meeting when he was asked about distribution of the reserved land.
"CM Siddaramaiah has always stood by Dalits and the backward classes and Revenue Minister, Kagodu Thimmappa is the champion of the Kagodu movement. But Dalits still haven't got the land reserved for them. Sadly, half the land reserved for the depressed classes has been encroached on by individuals and institutions and also by the forest department and Cashew Development Corporation. We want the CM to clear these encroachments and distribute the land to the rightful owners," said Mr Shekhar Laila, vice president of the Dakshina Kannada Jilla Dalitha Sanghatanegala Samanvyava Samithi.
He pointed out that although records showed about 106 acres were reserved for the depressed class in Koyyur , Belthangady taluk, 63 acres were with the forest department and 43 acres with individuals.
