The Hindu : Karnataka News : Gangooru Dalits to be rehabilitated

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 01, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Others

Gangooru Dalits to be rehabilitated

By Our Staff Correspondent

GANGOORU (HASSAN DT.), JULY 31. K. Shivaram, Commissioner, Department of Social Welfare, and the Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Subhash Bharani, have assured the 91 Dalits of Gangooru village in Arkalgud taluk of Hassan district, who were freed from bonded labour in 1994 and are waiting to be rehabilitated, that the Government will take steps to rehabilitate them.

Mr. Shivaram and Mr. Bharani, who visited Gangooru village today, explored various possibilities of rehabilitating the Dalits. The Dalits protested against the apathy of the Government by erecting temporary sheds in the Gobbali forest area of Gangooru village, despite threats of eviction by the Forest and Revenue departments.

New survey ordered

Mr. Shivaram said that he had directed the Deputy Commissioner, K.H. Ashwathanarayana Gowda, to conduct a survey of the land available in Arkalgud taluk and send a proposal for allotting the same to the Dalits. The Government was even prepared to purchase land at the market price and distribute it to the Dalits of Gangooru.

He said that besides allotting land for agriculture, the Government was also prepared to release funds for creating irrigation infrastructure and construction of houses for the Dalits. However, he convinced the Dalits that it was difficult for the Government to release land in the forest area, as it would amount to contempt of court.

`Funds available'

The Social Welfare Department had enough funds to rehabilitate them under the Special Component Plan (SCP), and the funds would be released on the receipt of the proposal from the Deputy Commissioner, he said.

However, since there was no Government land in Arkalgud taluk, it was difficult to fix a timeframe to solve the problem since the Revenue Department had to search for alternative land, he said.

Regarding the cases booked against the Dalits in 1992 and 2004 for trespassing forest land, he said he would discuss the issue with the authorities concerned and persuade them to withdraw the cases.

Procession

The Karnataka Dalit Sangharsha Samithi (KDSS) took out a procession in Arkalgud today, and laid siege to the tahsildar's office, demanding the rehabilitation of the Dalits. Nearly 400 Dalits participated in the protest. The leaders of the KDSS also visited Gangooru and met the Mr. Shivaram and Mr. Bharani.

The Deputy Commissioner, K.H. Ashwathanarayana Gowda; the Additional Superintendent of Police, B.S. Prakash; and the Deputy Conservator of Forests, S. Shekar, were present.

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