Revenue Minister R. Ashok’s announcement on denotifying ‘deemed forest’ and granting the same for planters on a lease has attracted mixed reactions in the Malnad region. While the decision has been welcomed by the planters’ association, those working for small farmers and agricultural labourers are wary.
Mr. Ashok had said that this move would benefit both the planters, who had been cultivating the land that they possess illegally, and bagair hukum cultivators. Recently, he held meetings with planters in Hassan and Chikkamagaluru, where the coffee planters demanded that the issue of land encroachment was resolved at the earliest.
As per the Minister’s statement, the encroachers would get the land for a period of 30 years on lease. They would have to pay annual rent.
H.T. Mohan Kumar, president of Karnataka Growers Federation, told The Hindu that he welcomes the Minister’s statement. “We had placed this demand before the Minister and he has agreed to it,” he said. The planters had appealed to him to fix annual rent for land, depending upon the extent of land that each grower would get. “I have not gone into the details of the issue. But, by and large, his statement is an assurance to fulfill our long-pending demand,” he said.
Benefit only rich?
However, farmers’ organisations want the government to clarify how the bagair hukum cultivators would be benefited from this decision. “Vast extent of land had been notified as deemed forest, considering the satellite images of the locality. Because of this, many bagair hukum cultivators could not get the land granted. For them, the government has to grant absolute ownership, not lease of some years. The Minister has to clarify his stand on this issue”, said H.R. Basavarajappa, honorary president of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha.
Mr. Ashok’s statement on deemed forests has come a few weeks after the government proposed to release patches of land – gomala, gayarana, soppinabetta, hallubanni – to private parties and institutions. The Cabinet has formed a sub-committee under the Ashok to work modalities for the same.
K.L. Ashok, State secretary of Karnataka Janashakti, alleged that the government had been taking decisions to favour only the rich and super-rich. “Earlier, they decided to give away patches of land. to private people. Now, they want to extend benefits to private parties, who already own vast acres of land,” he said.
For years, thousands of people had not been able to get a small piece of land to build their houses in the Malnad region. “The government is hardly bothered about such poor people. Their applications submitted over the years are still pending”, he said. Further, he argued that all these decisions were to favour the big corporate companies, eyeing on the vast extent of fertile land.
