The protest by Kalasa hobli residents over Inam land issue entered 11th day on Thursday. The residents of controversial land have suggested to the State government to give title deeds as per the Forest Rights Act which will allow them to reside in Inam land.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, CPI(M) leader Sathi Sundaresh claimed that with the High Court, in its order, has stated that all the Inam land is forest land and the residents of the land should be given the title deeds as per the Forest Rights Act.
The government is only rehabiliting the residents of Inam land and has failed to provide sites to lakhs of landless people in the State. The government has not implemented its assurances and siteless people will be forced to live on streets, he said.
Threatening to intensify the stir, he said the fight will continue and it will turn out into a massive agitation.
Of the 230 applications submitted by the Scheduled Tribes to Kalasa gram panchayat under the Forest Rights Act, only 130 have been disposed of so far.
More than 400 applications submitted by other people are pending for a long time.
The pendency is due to the lack of government’s interest to implement the Forest Rights Act, he criticised.
Suresh Bhat from the Nellibeedu Hitharakshana Vedike said that as per the Forest Rights Act-2007, tribal communities cultivating forest land prior to 2005 and people belonging to other communities who are the residents of forest land for three generations are entitled to get the forest rights. The government should bring in suitable amendments to extend the same provision of tribals to people belonging to other communities, he said.
The protesters took out a rally from Nada Kacheri to the gram panchayat. The panchayat officers promised to accept applications under the Forest Rights Act from Friday and convene gram sabha on December 6 to discuss the matter.
