The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Wasteland distribution from September 17: Karunanidhi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 07, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Wasteland distribution from September 17: Karunanidhi

Special Correspondent

Team to visit West Bengal for studying land distribution issues

GREETING THE CROWD: Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi at a public meeting at Chintadripet on Sunday. — Photo: R. Ragu

CHENNAI: Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi on Sunday said the Government's programme of wasteland distribution to families of poor landless farmers at the rate of two acres per family would begin from September 17, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Dravidar Kazhagam founder E.V.Ramasamy.

Addressing a public meeting in his constituency Chepauk to highlight the significance of the revised budget for 2006-2007, he said a team comprising Ministers and officials concerned would be deputed shortly to West Bengal to study issues related to land distribution. He had spoken to the West Bengal Government, a pioneer in land reform.

Mr. Karunanidhi said the Tamil Nadu team would reach Kolkata in a week. The West Bengal Government officials had promised to explain in detail how land distribution was implemented there.

Fears allayed

Allaying apprehensions over the feasibility of the project of development and distribution of the wasteland, he said the Government would be able to commence distribution of the land to a few lakh farmers on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Periyar, just as it planned to launch the colour television distribution on the birth anniversary of C.N.Annadurai. "I am giving this assurance with dignity, honesty and integrity." He also made it clear that he would not go back on this assurance.

The announcement on distribution of 50 lakh acres of wasteland was made in the DMK election manifesto on the basis of "wrong" data provided by the previous All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Government, he said. However, he made it clear that the scheme would be implemented to the extent possible.

Apart from distributing Government wasteland, the Government would develop the wasteland owned by poor farmers only if it was agreeable to them.

Jayalalithaa flayed

Taking a dig at former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for her remark that she had worked 20 hours a day, Mr.Karunanidhi said during her previous tenure, she had failed to sign 1,112 files, including the one relating to the World Bank assistance of Rs.1,852 crore for tsunami relief and rehabilitation.

He also denied the AIADMK'S charge that lesser budgetary allocations were made by the DMK Government for various departments. When compared to the allocations made in the 2005-2006 budget presented by the previous AIADMK Government, more funds were earmarked in the revised budget for 2006-2007, he said.

Union Minister for Communication and Information Technology Dayanidhi Maran and Minister for Higher Education K.Ponmudi also spoke.

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