A confederation of 26 organisations have demanded that the State government declare a land use policy for the implementation of the provisions of the Land Reforms Act to ensure that landless agricultural labourers and farmers get at least five acres.
Siremane Nagaraj, a former Maoist who joined the mainstream a few years ago, told presspersons on Thursday that the implementation of the Act was only on paper and the tall claims of distributing land to the landless were far from reality. More than 50 per cent of the population in rural areas did not have land to till, he said.
Demand
Mr. Nagaraj, who is one of the conveners of the Bhoomi Mathu Vasati Hakku Vanchitara Horata Samiti, said that the State government should constitute a high-level committee to audit the available land fit for agriculture and study the efficacy of the implementation of the Land Reforms Act.
The government should also order a census of landless farmers and set a target of less than two yeas to provide at least five acres to landless farmers and sites to houseless people in urban and rural areas. Referring to the decision of the State government to observe the birth centenary of the former Chief Minister D. Devaraj Urs, considered to be the architect of land reforms in the State, Mr. Nagaraj said that the celebrations would have some meaning if the government honestly implemented the Land Reforms Act and ensured that all the landless farmers and houseless people got rights over agricultural land and sites. He said that the confederation would stage demonstrations and dharnas outside the residences of MLAs and the offices of deputy commissioners on July 20 as the first phase of their agitation.
Disruption
If the government failed to respond to their demands, the birth centenary celebrations organised by the State government in Bengaluru on August 20 would be disrupted, Mr. Nagaraj said.
Organisations
The Samaj Parivarthana Samudaya, Trade Union Centre of India, Aam Aadmi Party, Dalit Sangharsha Samiti, Karnataka Janandolana Sangatane, Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha, and Jan Sangram parishat are part of the confederation. Freedom fighter H.S. Doraiswamy has extended his support to the agitation.
State government told to constitute a high-level committee to audit the available land fit for agriculture
