Additional Pics by Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP/DV)

Mangaluru, Mar 31: A family which ekes out a living by working as coolies, which needs to take care of aged parents, and which had in the past given sizable portion of its landholding at Shimanthoor village near Mulky in the taluk for the construction of a temple, is now on the verge of committing suicide en masse. The family members have written to the state governor, chief justice of Karnataka high court, chief minister, and some others, expressing their resolve to kill themselves if they do not get justice from people's representatives and officials. The office of the chief minister, in a quick move, has sought details from the deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district.

The situation this poor family of old people is piteous to say the least. Not only the local gram panchayat officials, but also the officials of a temple for the construction of which the family had given up its land, have allegedly connived against the family for reasons best known to themselves, it is gathered. The officials and influential locals are plotting to usurp the 13 cents of land the family is left with, in which the family plans to build a house of its own, the family members allege.

Ramesh Kundar had planned to build a house in a site bought from a relative a year ago. Almost simultaneously, road work under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana was taken up. Kunder asked the concerned to build the road in the government land located by the side of his site but some influential persons and gram panchayat members stayed firm in their decision to acquire his site for the road. Kunder filed suit in the court, and provided a kutcha road for the convenience of the movement of the public in his land, duly asking the concerned to convert it into pakka road. The people are using this road, but Athikaribettu gram panchayat's development officer, Yogeesh, with the help of police, are heaping atrocities on them, the family has alleged.

The panchayat wants to forcibly construct a road on this plot, conversion of which had been permitted by the deputy commissioner for house construction. Although the family has shown alternative land adjacent to this plot, and even after all required documents were provided as proof, the officials are hell bent on acquiring this particular site. To execute their plans, the officials have also got notice under section 133 of Criminal Procedure Code served to the family through the assistant commissioner. Unable to bear the anguish arising out of crushing their legitimate rights, the family says it is planning mass suicide.

Jalaja Bai, who had planned to build house here, said that in the letter, she has named minister Abhaychandra Jain, deputy commissioner A B Ibrahim, tahidar Issac, panchayat president and panchayat development officer as those responsible for the tragedy in case the family goes ahead with its plan of mass suicide. She said that after the DC received letter from CM's office, he visited the spot and obtained information. The family told the DC during his visit recently that it was ready to give any land other than the one on which the house is proposed to be built. The DC, it is gathered, has promised to provide justice to the family.

The family, which on its own gave land for the construction of the temple and also for a public road, is now being pestered and pressurized to sacrifice land which it has earmarked to build its house, for road again. The officials, overlooking the documents which favour the family, want to impose their one-sided decision on the family, the family says.

The parents of Ramesh Kunder had donated 58 cents out of 85 cents of land they owned, for constructing the temple. But the temple management allegedly illegally acquired 72 cents of land, and the family was left with only 13 cents of land. It is said that a former president of the temple managing committee has been using political clout to pressurize the family to give up the balance land it has with it. Ramesh says that Yogeesh, PDO of the gram panchayat, has been getting police help to harass him, in spite of the fact that suit has been filed in the court against land acquisition.

Ramesh Kunder, who is faced with the task of looking after his mentally challenged father, aged mother, an aunt, wife, and daughter, out of the meagre income he earns by working as coolie, is dumbfounded at the misfortune that has befallen the family.

'Land illegally converted, family should allow road construction': Samiti

Meanwhile, in a press meet held here on Thursday March 31, Uday B Shetty, members of Shimanthoor Nagarika Hitarakashana Samiti alleged that a member of the family had illegally converted the land in his name even though it had been donated by an elderly lady of the family to the temple.

Insisting that the family should allow the road to be built as there was 'no other alternative', Uday Shetty said, "There is a 6.5 km road from Angaragudde to Srimanthooru temple via Kinnigoli in the limits of Mulky Athikari gram panchayat. This road has been tarred at a coast of Rs 6 crore and it is getting ready for public. But the family which had earlier given land for the road on its own will is now obstructing the work. Hitarakshana Samitit condemns this.

"This road work is being done in public interest, for the temple and villagers, but the person from the family, out of some grudge and political interest, is defaming the MLA and minister and thereby misleading the villagers. The 13 cents of land has been given for building public road by the elderly woman of the family, but a person from this family hid documents and got the land converted illegally through officers. Now he is refusing to allow the work and has forcibly fenced the area. The land was donated to the temple but he has created records showing that it was purchased, and even as the case was in high court, he got it converted," Uday Shetty alleged, without taking any individual's name.

"Though the family had donated 13 cents of land, they are now giving only 1.5 cents and keeping the rest with them. Many other villagers have also given their land for road development," he added.

When asked why he was insisting on building road through the family's property when the family was ready to give an alternative piece of land beside the spot, he said, "There is no alternative road. It is not their land. The officer illegally converted it. We will file a case against the conversion."

When reporters pointed out that the records clearly showed that the family owned the land, he repeated that there was 'no alternative' and insisted that the road was being built in the interest of the public.