Yeddyurappa has failed to grant land rights to poor: Thimmappa

"The Chief Minister has discarded a letter addressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in July 2009, asking him to complete the process (of granting land rights") before December 2009", he told reporters.

Thimmappa said the government has provided a provision through law to give land rights to poor villagers who have been utilising small forest area around their habitats to construct houses and graze cattle, by finalising such beneficiaries through village forest committees and approving the same by the designated authority. Despite several appeals by the poor,the state has not done any work in this direction and has been "sleeping over the matter" causing distress to lakhs of poor people in Shimoga, Chikmagalur, Hassan, Chamrajanagar, Mysore, Udupi, Belgaum and in Kodagu districts.

Thimmappa urged the government to direct district administrations to constitute village committees to finalise the beneficiaries and grant the rights. He warned that Congress would launch a state-wide agitation on the issue in case the government failed to take any action.