Pics: Inchara Digitals
Daijiworld Media Network—Udupi (RD/CN)

Udupi, Aug 6: Eight Dalit families have been driven to the streets owing to the atrocities of Suzlon Energy which has set up wind power plants near Nandikoor, here.

The displaced families alleged that Suzlon had acquired more land than was originally announced in the beginning and erected a boundary wall.  The families living within the boundary wall vacated their houses after accepting the compensation awarded by Suzlon. 

Meanwhile, the Dalit families that were living in the vicinity of the boundary wall were forced to vacate as the landlord who owned their land had given them a pittance from the compensation he had received from Suzlon.  The families are now on the streets and have put up tents near the house of a rich farmer. They survive by doing odd jobs on his farmland.

The Dalit families were living on ancestral land for many generations, but due to illiteracy they did not maintain any records.  It’s due to this situation that the families are deprived of state benefits.  They allege that they did not get proper response from Padubidri gram panchayat for their issues.

Tahsildar Pays Visit:

Tahsildar Prasanna Kumar and ST department officer Urmila, accompanied by Dalit leaders Shekar Hejamady and Keshav Salian paid a visit to these families and assured them of allotting three cents for housing plots to each family in Belapu gram panchayat besides approving Rs 1 lac from ST department for building the houses.