Pics: Umesh Marpalli
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (HB)
Udupi, Feb 11: Dr Ravindranath Shanbhag, president, Human Right Foundation, Udupi, held a press conference on Wednesday February 11 at Vaikunta Baliga College.
Speaking to media persons, Dr Shanbhag said that he had received appeals from 11 destitute families in Kuttethur, Mangaluru, who were refused compensation by Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL).
"Among the 11 families, five persons have died and their children are facing the same fate. Some houses were granted under Rural Housing Scheme. Grant recipients had taken loan from KHB and built houses and thereafter they were displaced due to acquisition. Hence, some portion of the loan is still owed to KHB and should be paid by MRPL," he added.
Subraya Acharya is a resident of Kuttethur, living with his wife Rohini. The couple have no children. "MRPL had allegedly forcibly displaced them from their own site. Now, they don’t have any source of income to meet their daily needs. The site value was Rs 7 lac in 1992, but now the rate is more than double. After a long wait, they have got a site and are living in a small house. Both of them are getting a monthly old age allowance of Rs 500 each. Is that amount enough to lead a hunger-free life? It's been 23 years, now, but the company has not paid even a single paisa as compensation," Dr Shanbhag said.
Another displaced person Thimmu Poojarthy, has four children. Her son is mentally challenged. She says, "One day, the bulldozer was brought into the colony at a time when it was virtually empty as everyone had gone out on their day to day activities. At such a time, the bulldozers of the MRPL project entered the colony and demolished it. Now, I have no strength to work."
The company has allotted land for Poojarthy, but she is looking for helping hands to construct a home. Marshal D’Souza passed away a while ago and his wife Mary is staying in a shed provided by the local church for the past three months. The whereabouts of Dhoomanna’s sons Tukaram and Balakrishna are still unknown.
Sankappa Shetty and late Lingappa Achari succeeded in recovering the compensation. Appi Poojari, Kamala, and other residents of the colony have identified the remnants of their demolished homes like windows and doors from the debris and gathered the same.
Most of the people are naïve and illiterate. They fail to understand the legal matters. Some of them do not have proper land records to reveal the truth. One of the families has got RTC in 1972, but there is no land record.
Dr Shanbhag says that this was a mistake made by the taluk panchayat officer while adding names in revenue records. The Foundation has been trying to solve matters but the actual facts are making it complicated.
Dr Shanbhag concluded, "We suggest that MRPL authorities release the rehabilitation packages to the displaced families along with interest. We acknowledge the tireless efforts of the public interest organizations that has resulted in this injustice coming to light."