The indefinite protest staged by members of the nomadic Hakki-Pikki community on the premises of the zilla panchayat here demanding allotment of sites concluded on Tuesday following an assurance from the State government to fulfil their demand in 75 days.
On January 16, the district administration allotted four acres belonging to the Revenue Department in survey number 78 in Veerannana Benavalli village for 250 families of the community. The houseless Hakki-Pikki families have been residing in makeshift tents set up on a vacant land near the canal of Upper Tunga Project in Gadikoppa locality on the outskirts of the city.
Delay condemned
More than 300 persons belonging to the community, including women and children, commenced an indefinite protest under the aegis of the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (DSS) on Monday at 11 a.m. condemning the delay in distribution of sites. They alleged that there has been inordinate delay in chopping of the eucalyptus trees raised by the Forest Department on the land and in formation of the layout with necessary civic amenities.
Addressing the protest meet on Tuesday, M. Gurumurthy, secretary of DSS district unit, said that owing to the delay in allotment of sites, some persons had set up makeshift tents on this land by making false claims of belonging to the Hakki-Pikki community.
K. Rakesh Kumar, CEO of Zilla Panchayat, who held discussions with the protesters on Tuesday afternoon, assured that the work of formation of the residential layout with necessary civic amenities will be completed in 75 days.
Meanwhile, the makeshift tents set up on the land sanctioned for the community at Veerannana Benavalli village were cleared under police security on Tuesday. The officials of Revenue and Social Welfare Departments said that after the formation of the layout, the beneficiaries will be identified and sites will be provided to them.
