The district administration will take up a drive from August 15 to clear encroachments on tank-beds.
The initiative follows the High Court of Karnataka’s directive to take steps to protect government properties such as tanks, raja kaluves (feeder channels), ponds, gomala land and roads from being encroached upon.
ProtestOn Wednesday, residents of B.R. Ambedkar Nagar, located on the bed of Kolaramma tank, staged a dharna outside T. Chennaiah Rangamandira against the district administration’s move to evict them.
The residents, under the banner of the Kolar Zilla Dalit Sanghatanegala Okkoota, raised slogans against issue of evection notice to them. They have been asked to vacate their place in a week.
They waited for district in-charge Minister U.T. Khader to arrive at the spot to participate in a programme and submitted a memorandum to him, seeking exclusion of Dalit families from the eviction drive.
“The district administration and city municipal council granted sites in survey no. 85, on the tank-bed, to Dalit families in 1990 and title deeds were also sanctioned,” the memorandum said.
Mr. Khader assured them that he would talk to the authorities concerned so that people of the oppressed sections of society were not affected.
SurveyAccording to Deputy Commissioner D.K. Ravi , a survey of 38 tanks in all the five taluks has been completed and encroachments have been identified. The encroachments in other tanks will be identified in a phased manner within three months. Mr. Ravi has assured police protection for Revenue officials.
There was allegedly a move by the land mafia and the ruling party to exert pressure on the government to transfer the Deputy Commissioner for his stance against encroachments as well as land-grabbers and sand mafia. However, a number of organisations came out in support of Mr. Ravi.
