Good response to bandh call

The bandh called by the KRS Grama Ulisi Samiti on Thursday to protest against the district administration’s “lethargic” attitude towards issuing title deeds to residents of Krishnaraja Sagar (Kannambadi) village, evoked a good response. More than 200 shopkeepers in the vicinity of Brindavan Gardens and Krishnaraja Sagar, downed shutters.

However, despite the bandh, the samiti, comprising KRS village residents, did not prevent tourists from visiting Brindavan Gardens and Krishnaraja Sagar.

Deeds for 1,000 houses

There are at least 3,800 houses in the village and title deeds have been issued to around 1,000 houses. Most of the residents of the village are descendents of natives of Talakad and Maddur in Mandya district, Andhra Pradesh and some parts of Tamil Nadu, who relocated to the village, then called Kannambadi, when the KRS was being constructed in 1910. The original residents worked as labourers during the construction of the reservoir.

The residents who have not received title deeds as yet have stopped paying taxes to the gram panchayat.

‘Not heeding our pleas’

“We have been staying here for more than 10 decades. But the gram panchayat has been refusing to issue title deeds. Even the Mandya district administration is not heeding our requests,” Thimmappa, a village resident, said.

These residents have submitted applications seeking regularisation of their land. The Mandya district administration has to take a call, a gram panchayat member said.

The samiti members submitted memorandums to A.B. Ramesh Babu Bandisidde Gowda, Srirangapatna MLA, and Pandavapur Assistant Commissioner R. Latha.

They also took out a rally and staged a protest.