Kerala   

Chengara: charter of demands submitted

PATHANAMTHITTA: The Sadhu Jana Vimochana Samyukta Vedi (SJVSV) on Tuesday formally placed a five-point charter of demands to be met for withdrawing its 10-month-old agitation at Chengara, near Konni, before the government, through Pathanamthitta District Collector Raju Narayanaswamy.

The Collector forwarded the charter of demands submitted by vedi president Laha Gopalan on Tuesday afternoon.

The SJVSV activists encroached upon a private plantation on August 5, 2007, demanding five acres of land suitable for agriculture and Rs.50,000 in cash for each landless family among them. Vedi leaders claim that 20,000 encroachers have pitched tents at the Kumbazha estate of Harrisons Malayalam Limited.

The five demands put forward by the organisation to bring an end to the encroachment of the Kumbazha estate are: allot one acre of land each to all eligible encroachers belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as well as Dalit Christians; provide financial assistance to meet farming and food expenses for one year; five acres of land should be allotted for a place of worship at Kallely-Appoopankavu, near Konni; due consideration must be given to families belonging to Forward Communities among the encroachers; withdraw cases against all vedi workers filed right from the beginning of the agitation at Kodumon Plantation in 2006.

The vedi leaders warned that the agitation would be intensified if the government failed to accept the demands.

Talking to reporters, Mr. Gopalan said the encroachers hailed from families having houses on the three cents of land at various lakshamveedu colonies, and on Revenue, rock and canal poromboke lands. The vedi had been demanding allotment of land suitable for farming to each encroacher family. He said there should be a special package for land allotment to SC/ST families, lest it was grabbed by capitalist forces.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Small wonder
Next issue
Keeping an open eye and mind on spiritual matters
High wages bane of coir sector: Sudhakaran
Oil firms deny curbs on sale
Vizhinjam work put on hold for two weeks
Breeding beauties of the deep
Farmers yet to get benefit of debt relief
Pilot NoRK identity card scheme launched
Collateral damage
Vacant posts hit settlement of cases
‘University exam system politicised’
Building bylaw proposed to tackle natural hazards
Chengara: charter of demands submitted
Jail for former bank cashier
For a bright future
‘Intensify stir against Athirappilly project’
Tiny tools help him create art on aluminium

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu