Daijiworld Media Network—Mangalore (RD/CN)
Mangalore, May 3: The peasant’s fraternity in Dakshina Kannada (DK) district has extended support to Gregory Patrao and his family, whose ancestral house and fertile farmland were taken over by the workmen engaged by Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB), to execute the High Court orders and acquire their land at Kalavar, near here a few days ago, for the refinery expansion project of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL).
The Patrao family has decided to stage a protest against the above move in front of the office of the Dakshina Kannada district deputy commissioner (DC) here against the MRPL authorities on Monday May 3.
The family is determined to continue to stay put in their ancestral land. The family members started living in a temporary shelter, bracing the harsh weather, as the workmen left the location after bulldozing their house, which is nearly a century-old.
The inhuman treatment meted out to the family by the KIADB to acquire land for the MRPL expansion project, has sounded a warning bell for the other wealthy and powerful landlords in the vicinity, whose farmlands are also threatened by possible future acquisitions.
Meanwhile, Mulki–Moodbidri MLA, Abhayachandra Jain, visited the Patrao family on Sunday May 2.
Sri Vishweshateerta Swamiji of Pejavar Mutt will visit them at their temporary shelter on Monday evening.
The Patraos’ ancestral house had served as a worship centre for the Christians residing in the Pezar deanery, under Mangalore diocese, about 300 years ago.
This fact had been mentioned during the visit of Pope John Paul II to Bajpe a few decades ago. His house served the spiritual needs of the faithful till the church of St Joseph’s at Pezar and Bajpe were built and began serving the parishioners.
It is unfair that Gregory Patrao was not given a copy of the court order before the machines rolled onto his property to demolish property standing on their ancestral land, which has been the source of the family’s livelihood for many generations, it is felt.