Karnataka - Belgaum   

Dalit unions boycott official function

LONG-PENDING DEMAND: Members of Dalit families displaced by Hidkal dam project in 1974 staging a dharna in Belgaum on Monday demanding land for land.

Belgaum: The agitating members of Kranti Sena and All India Safai Mazdoor Congress, Belgaum city unit, on Monday, boycotted the official function of B.R. Ambedkar Jayanti organised by the district administration, in protest against the latter’s failure to deliver "social justice" and demanding solution to their long-pending problems.

However, the functionaries of the two organisations garlanded the portraits of Ambedkar even as they continued their dharna. While the All India Safai Mazdoor Congress’s dharna entered 153rd day, Kranti Sena’s dharna entered 15th day on Monday.

Members of the two organisations shouted slogans against the district administration for turning a blind eye towards their problems.

The congress members have been demanding implementation of welfare schemes and filling up of vacancies in the Belgaum City Corporation.

Their other demands include ownership titles to safai karmacharis who had been housed in government dwellings and construction of new houses for those living in rented houses. Appointment of safai karmacharis on a permanent basis as per I.P.D. Salappanavar recommendations in the Police, Education and Health departments and regularisation of contract workers on permanent basis too figure in their charter of demands.

Congress’s district unit president Bhikuji M. Chavan and corporator Deepak Waghela said although the Government had increased pension to retired employees as well as family pension, safai karmacharis were left out of it.

They said the Government should pay at least 50 per cent gratuity to safai karmacharis on their retirement and give them a farewell with honour and respect in the same as way as other government employees.

The Kranti Sena members, who have been staging a dharna for the last 15 days, are demanding “land for land” to the 116 families which have been displaced following construction of Hidkal Project in 1974. They said Ambdekar Jayanti celebrations was meaningless if the problems of dalits were not solved, the agitating members said.

Deputy Commissioner M.E. Shivalingmurthy and corporation commissioner P.A. Meghannavar participated in the function organised at Ambedkar Garden earlier in the day.

Later, various dalit organisations took out a procession with portraits of B.R. Ambedkar in the city.

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