JOIN USAddressing a news conference Lokesh said that an amicable policy to control land encroachment in future is a must and emulating this vital policy must be the aim of the all party meeting.
He said that the report submitted by Government Land Protection Task Force President Balasubramanyam is a serious one, which has made way for various kinds of assumptions and debates in the public domain.
Declaration of the two other members of the Committee that the report is the President’s personal opinion and the final draft will be out soon after gathering opinions of the members has brought to light the internal differences at the Government level, he said.
He informed that the Revenue Minister on one hand says that the Government has not received the report and on the other hand he goes to say that the Government will not accept the report.
“In this case, the CM has to intervene and clear the confusions. The report, from an outset seems to be unilateral, failing to bring to light the existing situation,” he said adding that from generations, people have been cultivating revenue lands in Chikmagalur and Shimoga district. Off late, these revenue lands were handed over to Forest Department, which is now being portrayed as encroachment of forest land.
“When the lands were handed over to forest department, neither were the houses vacated nor were the plantations of areca and coffee cleared off. Survey was conducted and demarcation was done without informing the people living on these lands.
The documents were changed in the offices and based on these documents the people should not be asked to leave the land,” he said adding that the people should not be called as encroachers of land when there are provisions like ‘Akrama Sakrama’ and Forest Rights Act in place.
He questioned if it is correct to equate the poor farmers who have lived on government land for survival with the rich who encroach land to pacify their greed.
“It is not the encroachment of these humble farmers, which needs to be cleared. Instead it is the massive encroachment in cities done to boost land mafia and real estate by the rich and influential, which needs to be cleared,” he said adding that providing title deeds to these poor farmers is the social responsibility on the Government.