Kagodu wants committees to be formed to identify encroached land

Mangaluru: Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa on Thursday directed Deputy Commissioners of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts to allot remaining parcels of ‘DC Manna land’ in the districts to people belonging to oppressed classes within a month.

The erstwhile Madras Presidency of the British had earmarked certain portions of government lands as DC Manna land in the then South Canara district, which was under it, for allotment to oppressed classes.

Presiding over a meeting on the issue, Mr. Thimmappa also asked the district administrations to form committees at taluk levels headed by respective tahsildars to identify encroached DC Manna lands as well as identify unallocated government lands to be allotted to people belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner K.G. Jagadeesha said of 7,117 acres of DC Manna land, 6,435 acres have already been allotted to different persons, including SC/STs and government departments. Only about 682 acres are remaining for allotment. Udupi Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis said only about 71 acres of land is remaining in her district for allotment.

Dalit leaders Shekhar Belthangady, Chandu, Ashok Konchady, Janardhana, and Chandra Kumar urged the Minister to get DC Manna lands allotted to beneficiaries other than oppressed classes recovered and allotted to intended beneficiaries. Mr. Thimmappa, however, said lands legally allotted cannot be taken back; but promised to recover encroached lands including those in the possession of the Forest Department without formal allotment.

The Dalit leaders raised the issue of Mr. Jagadeesha walking out of a grievance redressal meeting on August 2 and said the officer insulted the district by his act. They were demanding allotment of DC Manna land in the meeting when the incident occurred, they complained to the Minister.

Clarifying, Mr. Jagadeesha said the participants in the meeting were not prepared to listen to him that the land cannot be allotted straight-away as it was not covered either under the Land Grant Rules or the Land Revenue Act.

He had to seek direction from the government. When many participants began speaking at a time, he had no option but to walk out of the meeting, wherein nearly 500 grievances were listed to be heard, he said.

Mr. Thimmappa said the government would ensure that unallotted DC Manna land is allotted to beneficiaries.

District in charge Minister B. Ramanath Rai and others were present.