Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS) protested outside the office of Deputy Commissioner here on Monday demanding the State government to withdraw proposed amendments to Karnataka Land Reforms Act.
The protesters said the Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Act, 2015, which was “hurriedly” passed by the Karnataka legislature “without any debate” on the floor of the house, would hasten the process of driving out farmers from the agricultural sector and handing over vast tracts of lands to big business houses for corporate farming.
They said that raising the cap of annual income from non-agricultural sources for buying agriculture lands from Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 25 lakh would fasten the process of shrinking agriculture area in the State.
“The provisions in the amended Act would allow real estate and corporate farming companies to own huge tracts of agriculture land driving out the poor and crisis-stricken farmers from the field,” Mallayya Jalahalli, district president of the organisation, said during the protest.
He demanded that the government restore the Act at its previous position.
Bagir hukum land
The activists condemned the State government for its “harassment” and efforts to evict bagair hukum farmers from the government plots they had been cultivating for several years.
They demanded a joint survey by the Departments of Police, Revenue and Forest, and regularisation of bagair hukum land to its real cultivators.
“Improper and irregular power supply to farm pump-sets is another big issue for the farmers. The government had promised that it would ensure a three-phase power supply to pump-sets for seven hours a day. But the farmers are not getting the quality power even for four hours a day. The government should ensure that irrigation pumpsets are supplied with quality power at least 12 hours a day,” said K.G. Veeresh, taluk secretary of the organisation.
A memorandum was submitted to the office of Deputy Commissioner.
