Mangalore: Patrao’s Fight Gets Him Justice – Says It’s Farmers’ Victory
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SR/SB)
Mangalore, Jul 11: Ending the 24-daylong hunger strike following CM’s assurance and respect for his words, Gregory Patrao said that it is for the first time that an Indian farmer is getting justice and termed the assurance as the victory to every farmer.
Speaking to presspersons in front of the deputy commissioner’s office here on Sunday July 11, Patrao said that the outcome of his hunger strike has renewed hopes of the farmers on the state government. Esha Vittaladasa Swamiji of Kemaru ended Patrao’s strike by offering a tender coconut.
Explaining the incident Gregory said that Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) to extend the MRPL project had acquired 52 acres of land belonging to him part by part between 1984 and 1992 with the promise of providing employment. Firstly his land was denotified in 200 and the final notification came in 2007 stating acquisition of 6.99 acres of land. Subsequently his land was taken into possession on April 28 last and that remaining 7 acres of land he had for survival was acquired in an inhuman way without court orders, he alleged.
He went on hunger strike for he did not want to part with the last piece of land with his ancestral home and a little farm for sentimental reasons. Further, he also did not get valuable compensation apart from his house was demolished and property seized without prior notice by the KIADB with the help of lawmakers and goonda elements.
State Organic Farming Mission chairman S A Anand who visited Mangalore and met Patrao on Friday July 9 subsequently presented the grim situation Patrao was in to the CM through videos and collected reports. Following this the CM in a telephonic conversation with Patrao on Saturday July 10 assured him of justice. Also CM directed regional commissioner, Mysore to handle the said case.