Madikeri: Codava National Council (CNC) Secretary-General N.U. Nachappa on Tuesday urged the Centre to enact a law to accord ownership rights to holders of "Jamma Malai".

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, copies of which were released to the press here on Tuesday, Mr. Nachappa said the Centre should ask the State Government to apply the observations of Karnataka High Court only concerning the party against whom the writ petition was filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and advocate Pramila Nesargi in Bangalore.

The State Government should drop its move to "take away" "Jamma Malai" lands and rights of the Kodava families, who were given the land to cultivate cardamom.

"Jamma Malai" lands were the forested hill tracts in Kodagu given to 65 families in the district by the rulers of Kodagu for cardamom cultivation. The British continued the privilege in Kodagu later.

Mr. Nachappa quoted instances where the tribal people in the north-eastern States had been conferred the rights over their lands by way of Constitution amendment. The State Government indulged in stifling the rights of Kodavas by taking back "Jamma Malai" land. Ms. Nesargi and the State Government should apologise to the "Jamma Malai" holders for resorting to such tactics, Mr. Nachappa said.

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