Malenadu Raitha Horata Samiti leader calls for protests by people displaced by dams in Shivamogga for grant of land

Malenadu Raitha Horata Samiti convenor Ti.Na. Srinivas has called upon those displaced by projects and suffering without alternative land to launch protests similar to the farmers’ protests in Delhi against the three farm acts, and to the sugarcane growers of Belagavi.

In a press conference in Shivamogga on Monday, Mr. Srinivas stated that elected representatives from Shivamogga had failed to address the issue of displaced people. “The individuals who gave up their land for the Sharavathi, Tunga, Bhadra, Ambligola, Chakra, Varahi, and Savehaklu projects have not been granted rights over the land they have been cultivating for decades. Even after repeated protests, the government has failed to fulfil their demands. The farmers should hit the streets and protest against the government, like the farmers who staged protests in Delhi seeking repeal of anti-farm laws and the Belagavi sugarcane growers who sought higher prices for sugarcane,” he said.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, during the campaign ahead of the 2023 assembly elections, assured the people of Shivamogga that they would resolve the land grant issue. “They have failed to fulfil their promise. Instead, the Forest Department has been taking over the land that was granted to farmers by the Revenue Department. The Revenue Minister, Krishna Byregowda, who recently reviewed the department’s work in Shivamogga, has shown no interest in resolving the issues affecting the displaced people. The report on the survey to identify the land being cultivated by displaced individuals, conducted per the Supreme Court’s direction, is still pending with the DC,” he stated.

Citing the Forest Department’s claims regarding the land granted by the Revenue Department, Mr. Srinivas stated that the Revenue Department had not been able to safeguard the interests of the people to whom they granted land. “What is the purpose of having a revenue minister and a department?” he questioned.

He also alleged that Member of Parliament B.Y. Raghavendra had limited his focus only to roads and railways. He had not reacted to the farmers’ issues. “Considering the failures of elected representatives, the farmers should launch a series of protests for their demands, and they should not stop unless the demands are fulfilled,” he added.