Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundpur, Jan 11: As many as 147 huts and houses constructed by landless poor some months back in government land at Satwady, Kandavara village, were demolished under the leadership of tahsildar in police presence.

People like district secretary of agricultural labourers association, Venkatesh Koni, Chandra K, Ganesh,Rajesh,Jagadish, Ravi and Dinesh, who were opposed to the demolition drive, were arrested and released later.

Over 70 percent of these houses were set up by dalit and scheduled castes. The place where the families settled down since October last was located in government land measuring 24.61 acres of government land. Although the tahsildar had issued notice to vacate the land, the concerned had refused to budge.

Revenue officials accompanied by 200 police personnel and 50 labourers executed this task.

To express their dissatisfaction at this drive, State Dalit Sangharsh Samiti, CPM, and have protested. They have boycotted a meeting scheduled to be held that day.

Tahsildar here, G M Borkar, clarified that houses were built overnight in government land located in deemed forest area. He said that till October, there were 13 houses and several huts came up suddenly. "We served notice and took steps legally. Out of them, 80 are genuinely eligible, and we are examining chances of providing house sites to them in two to three acres land nearby," he explained.