Speaking at the district-level SC/ST meeting held under the presidenstship of Deputy Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao here on Tuesday, they said “land beloning to Dalits are being encroached for various purposes and buildings have come up in the land.”

District administration should initiate action to evacuate the encroached land. They said ‘DC manna land’ identified for the Dalits have been encroached either by the forest department or by the individuals in the district.

Title deeds
Mr Lolaksha said title deeds have not been distributed to the Dalits. In some cases, title deeds have been distributed and land has not been handed over to them.

Mr Rao said Dalits are residing in Kumki and other government owned lands in the district. It will not be possible to hand over title deeds to all of them. If the land is available in any gram panchayat limits, then the district administration is ready to purchase it and hand over to the Dalits. He assured to evacuate the encroached land.

Crematorium
Mr Narayana said that many of the Dalit colony do not have crematorium. In many places Dalits are not allowed to cremate body in other Hindu crematorium, he alleged.

He said crematorium at Padavinangadi has been closed for the past none months. People have to go to Vamanjooru to cremate the body.

Mr Rao assured to solve the problem of crematorium.

‘Bhootha kola’
Nalike Bhootharadane Samithi President alleged that by staging Bhoothakola in many public programmes, organisers are insulting the community. Staging Bhoothakola in public other than for religious purpose should be banned.

DC said “Bhoothakola is the rich cultural heritage as well as religious ritual of the district. I will consult folklorist with regard to the staging it in public.”

The row over land for the construction of Ambedkar Bhavan will be resolved after holding discussion with both the parties.