Silvester D'Souza/Harshini Brahmavar
Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (EP)

Kundapur, Feb 20: Shamihaklu and Golikadu gram voters boycotted the taluk and zilla panchayat elections held here on Saturday February 20.

The villagers, chiefly belonging to scheduled castes and tribes, are up in arms against the administration and the government for depriving them of basic amenities like roads, electricity and safe drinking water.

The villagers had taken the decision to boycott the elections a week ago and hung banners everywhere calling upon people to support them. The villagers alleged that the police took down the banners.

Last week, speaking to media, the villagers had said, "The communities of backward tribes have been neglected since independence. There are more than eighty houses in Shamihaklu and Golikadu areas. They have to come to Kelasunka, Jaddinagadde and Amasebail to buy anything. The people's representatives come during elections and promise all facilities but do not act on them.

"There are no approach roads to Shamehaklu and Golikadu and due to conflicts between the forest department and the government, the funds released for the purpose are returned. There is no mobile network and drinking water problem is endless. Complaints in this respect have yielded no fruit. Children have to walk through forests to go to school. Patients have to be carried to the hospital. But the elected representatives have remained indifferent. Therefore the villagers are boycotting the elections," they said.

Police circle inspector P M Diwaker and K C Rajesh came to the spot and tried to convince the villagers but they did not budge.

A C Ashwath and tahsildar Gayathri Nayak spoke to them over the phone, but in vain. The forest department officials promised to visit them before the end of polling. But the villagers decided not to cast their votes unless their problems are solved.

Boycott in Karkala

The SC/ST communities in Moodudarkas of Mutlupady in Andaru, Karkala taluk, also boycotted the elections completely. There was only polling booth, and except for police personnel and election officials, the booth was deserted.

There are 35 families living in this area and they are dependent on coolie work.

The area is Naxal-affected. The villagers said that they have been deprived of basic amenities. "We have no proper roads, clean drinking water or electricity. As this is a Naxal-affected area, we constantly live under a shadow of fear. There are only three buses that come this way, but they are never on time. There are Marathi speaking families here, and they have lost touch with the mainstream society.

"The politicians have completely failed to utilize the Naxal package for the development of backward class colonies here," they added.

The officials tried to convince them to end the boycott and cast their votes, but the villagers stood firm on their demands. There was cent percent boycott, with all 170 voters staying away. The villagers demanded various amenities like drinking water, bus service, new electricity pole, bus stop and street lights. They also warned that if they demands were not met, they would boycott the next elections too.