Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Sep 16: The Dalit families living at Movadi village in the taluk had fought for government sites for long. Five years back, the land was allotted to them but sites have not yet been marked and allotted to individual families so far. The Dalits, therefore, have again chosen to agitate against the official apathy.

Nearly 50 families belonging to scheduled castes and tribes had fought and got six acres of land in Survey No 121A P1 at Movadi. The district administration later sanctioned sites to 28 families. Out of them, title deeds have already been distributed to 14 families. Ambedkar Development Corporation also received money for their house construction. However, as sites have not been earmarked for individual families they have not been able to build their houses.

The Dalits who did not have land had built huts in government land. The then deputy commissioner of the district Dr Vishal had sanctioned six acres of land where they stayed to Dalit families. Later trees were removed and the land was levelled. Deputy commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis during her term increased land allotted to each family from 2.75 cents to 4.75 cents. Grant of Rs 3.8 lac per house was received by Ambedkar Development Corporation six months back.

A few families which said that have been living in rented houses and houses of relatives have not been shown the sites by the officials where they can build their houses have taken to the agitational path. They have now built huts in the government land allocated to them. As of now, a few huts have been pitched but all the 28 families have threatened to start living thereby building huts if the government officials do not earmark borders of each site.

Leader of the protesters Raghavendra Movadi said that after a long fight the government had sanctioned them site but the officials are now neglecting their duty. Ambujakshi, a local resident said her family lives in a rented house and she could have owned a house had the site been earmarked for her family. She lamented the fact that government officials have turned a blind eye to their problems.