Homeless labourers continue protest for land allocation

Madikeri: A dharna by homeless labourers at Paisari land in Kumbur village under Madapura gram panchayat, Somwarpet taluk, entered its 12th day on Tuesday, even as locals opposed the demand to allot land to people from outside the area.

The protest is being led by the Karnataka Bahujan Karmika Sangha, which is seeking residential sites for poor labourers.

However, state president of Adi Dravida Samaj Seva Sangh and district president of AITUC, HM Somappa, said the available Paisari land should be reserved only for local applicants from Madapura GP.

Addressing a press conference in Madikeri on Tuesday, Somappa said it was unfair to demand sites in Kumbur for beneficiaries from different gram panchayats in the district. He warned that if elected representatives or officials respond to the dharna by allotting sites to outsiders, local people would oppose the move.

He said more than 500 applicants from Madapura GP are waiting for sites and accused some organisations of misleading the public.

At the dharna site, leaders of women’s organisations expressed support for the agitation. Bahujan Karmika Sangha president K Monnappa said labourers were fighting for residential sites for 25 years while encroachers on govt land were being granted title deeds.