Mandya: Around 200 people came together March 28 to March 30 in New Tamil Colony, Mandya district of karnataka to demand land deeds for their homes. They are protesting for 165 families to get title deeds, for housing projects to be undertaken, and for basic amenities such as water, electricity and roads to be provided. They have also asked that the 1.2 acres of land that had been announced be transferred to the city’s Slum Development Board. The protest was called off after local officials conceded to the demands.
The protest in Tamil colony began after a rally and meeting on March 26 organised by Karnataka Janashakti and Mahila Munnade over the demands of slum-dwellers in Mandya. Located near Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences, Tamil Colony exists in the city centre and has seen a history of eviction notices and land struggles as the government increases its attempts to profit off the land. Most recently, plans to build an apartment complex had commenced operations. As the Karnataka Assembly Elections get closer, residents of Tamil Colony raised banners saying – “No land, no vote” across the locality. The MLA for Mandya Constituency, M Srinivas, along with other local officials agreed to issue land deeds.
Shramikanagaras or slums across Mandya, such as Hakki Pikki Shramika, Nanda Shramika, Gurumatte Shramika and Indira Badavane have protested and raised banners demanding their rights. Without recognition of land rights, the residents cannot build pakka houses and do not have claims to functional drainage systems or other basic amenities. Less than a month ago, residents of Kalappa Badawane also won deeds to the land they resided upon.
The struggles in Mandya are not alone as similar protests have gained traction across several districts in Karnataka over various land and shelter related causes. These struggles are part of a larger movement spearheaded by Bhoomi Matthu Vasati Hakku Vanchitara Horata Samita or the Land And Shelter Struggles Action Committee. Over the past week, Kodagu has been witnessing indefinite protests against the construction of a cricket stadium on a two-acre patch of land that had been allocated as burial grounds. In Raichur, a three-day land struggle was held from March 27 to 29. A sixteen-day protest was held in Anekal from March 13 to 29. Chitradurga, Koppala and Ballari have also seen night-long protests in front of local taluk offices.
These protests represent a history of a deeper struggle carried out by Dalit and Adivasi groups over land redistribution and ownership even before the Land And Shelter Struggles Action Committee was set up. They have been fighting to issue title deeds to ‘Bagair Hukum’ cultivators and those cultivating forest land, and to stop forceful land acquisition by large corporations.
Bagair Hukum cultivators are those who are dependent on small plots of government land for their livelihood but do not have any formal ownership rights to the government land they occupy. Not only has the government denied them legal titles to the land they occupy, it has also evicted many and rendered them shelterless in the interest of private players.
Bagair Hukum Committees that process applications for regularisation of land titles have not been functional for decades and the government keeps extending the period within which applications are to be dealt with. On the other hand, efforts to remove Baigar Hukum farmers from their land have only intensified through concocting charges of land grabbing against Bagair Hukum farmers. There has also been a slow reversal of the old land reform provisions as more and more amendments are being made to relax ceilings on agricultural holdings and allow purchase of agricultural land by non-agriculturalists.
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Lakhs and lakhs of Bagair Hukum farmers and labourers in Karnataka have for generations run around, filling forms and submitting applications to no avail. While the grandchildren of politicians who made empty promises have entered the government, the policies and the empty promises are still the same as their grandfathers. The MLAs are not interested in actually redistributing land since most of them are themselves landlords and are only interested in acquiring more land. In light of the forthcoming elections, people across Karnataka have declared that they will not vote in the elections unless their demands are met.
