Shivamogga Zilla Adike Belegarara Sangha, an association of arecanut growers, pressed the government to confer title deeds to farmers engaged in cultivating land, including ‘soppina betta’ and ‘Kaanu’ land.
Sangha president B.A. Ramesh Hegde told presspersons on Thursday that 26,942 applications submitted by farmers under Form 53 for title deeds for 83,566 acres of privileged land in the district.
Section introduced
The State government in November 1998 had introduced Section 94(B) to the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964, to regularise unauthorised cultivation of privileged lands.
In February 2010, another Order was passed by the government classifying privileged land as forest land. The Order said that unauthorised cultivation of privileged land cannot be regularised without the permission of the Centre.
Following this, applications submitted for title deeds and ownership rights over privileged land were kept pending, Mr. Hedge said.
Farmers in Malnad region were using ‘soppina betta’ to collect dry leaves and had been cultivating on the land for many years.
Against interest
of farmers
Mr. Hedge said the Order was against the interests of farmers of the Malnad region. The delay in conferring the title deeds has created an apprehension among the farmers that they would be evicted from the privileged land by considering them encroachers under Karnataka Prevention of Land Grabbing Act, 2011, he said.
He demanded the government withdraw the Order and confer title deeds on the farmers.
