The Hindu : Waiting for the promised land

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 15, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Waiting for the promised land

By Muralidhara Khajane

GANGOORU (HASSAN DT.), MARCH 14. Ninety-one Dalits of Gangooru village in Arkalgud taluk of Hassan district, who were freed from bonded labour in 1994, are yet to get land as compensation.

The Forest Department acquired their land in 1992. Some prominent political parties promised the Dalits during the past two elections to the Legislative Assembly and the Lok Sabha that they would get them land, but they are yet to fulfil it.

According to the Dalits, the successive governments did not fulfil the promises made to them and the district administration too did not respond to their problems after their land was acquired. Eeraiah, one of the victims, said they would be forced to become bonded labourers again if the authorities concerned did not take steps to sanction land to them.

Gangooru is in the Hassan parliamentary constituency. It made headlines in 1992 when the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (DSS) brought to the fore the plight of the Dalits who were working as bonded labourers then. In 1994, the Deputy Commissioner, Mahendra Jain, initiated steps to free them from bonded labour after visiting Gangooru. Mr. Jain promised them that they would be rehabilitated. He also promised them that free sites would be given to them and an industrial training centre would be set up for their development. Subsequently, funds were released under the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) for development schemes planned for the Dalits. But the schemes did not take off because of the alleged interference by people from an upper caste in the village. With no land to cultivate, the Dalits are now struggling for survival.

G.H. Chandrappa, a freed bonded labourer, who is now the President of the Gangooru Gram Panchayat, said they were leading a happy life till 1992, cultivating nearly 100 acres of forest land. The trouble started when they started growing tobacco. Annoyed by the economic progress of the Dalits, some people from an upper caste got them evacuated from the forest land which was subsequently transferred to the Forest Department.

Meanwhile, 25 Dalits, who had remitted "kimmat'' (a small amount towards using the government land), urged the authorities concerned to provide them alternative land. However, the officials, who had promised them alternative land, did not fulfil it. Protesting the attitude of the officials, the Dalits removed the saplings planted on the land acquired from them. There was a clash between the Dalits and forest officials. Subsequently, cases were booked against the Dalits, he said.

"After losing our land, we were forced to work as labourers. But people from upper castes did not give us work. They even forced their communities in neighbouring villages not to employ us. With no land to cultivate and with no work, we surrendered before the landlords,'' said Puttaiah, another freed bonded labourer.

The district administration woke up when the issue rocked the Legislative Assembly. Though it freed them from bonded labour, their living conditions did not change. Eeriah said the district administration did not even bother to identify land to rehabilitate them.

Sources in the Revenue Department said the Dalits had been cultivating the land in the Gobbali Reserve Forest since 1972. The department was not aware that the land was part of the reserve forest when it was sanctioned to the Dalits under the Dharkasht Act. It came to the notice of the department when "pattas" (cultivating rights) were given to some of them. Subsequently, the department stopped issuing "pattas". In March last, the Deputy Commissioner, L.K. Atheeq, visited Gangooru and held a meeting with the affected Dalits. They appealed to him to sanction land for cultivation. Mr. Atheeq ordered the officials concerned to speed up the process of sanctioning 80 acres of land to 25 Dalits who had paid "kimmat". He directed the Arkalgud tahsildar to identify 320 acres of land to be allotted to 66 Dalits. He promised that the cases registered against them would be withdrawn.

The Arkalgud Tahsildar, D. Ashwathanarayana Rao, said the land identified for the Dalits was being cultivated by some people. They had approached the Karnataka Appellate Tribunal and obtained an order to maintain status quo with regard to the land. However, alternative land had been identified at Hulikallu and Dummi villages and there was no problem in allotting it to the Dalits, he added.

<223,2><23>Forest Department acquires the land cultivated by 91 Dalits in 1992<18>

<223,2><23>With no land and no work, they become bonded labourers<18>

<223,2><23>The district administration frees them from bonded labour in 1994<18>

<223,2><23>Land identified for rehabilitation yet to be allotted<18>

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