Farmers smile as govt denotifies land for MSEZ

Mangalore, July 14: Hapless in Halliguddi, but triumphant in Delanthabettu, Permude, Yekkar and Kuthethoor. This sums up the fate of farmers in two parts of Karnataka. While the former are battling land acquisition by Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board in Gadag district, the latter in this coastal district, who after four years of struggle, late on Tuesday have seen the government denotify their land acquired for second phase of Mangalore SEZ.

A late-night development on Tuesday, which saw the state government denotify 1,998.03 acres of land acquired for the second phase out of 2,035.31 acres acquired, sent a wave of relief through the 800-odd families residing in these villages. The government left out 37.28 acres of land from Tuesday's denotification order, ostensibly on grounds that final notification for it has already been issued and this extent of land is now officially revenue land.

When Visvesha Thirtha swamiji of Pejawar mutt, who has actively involved himself in the agitation of these villagers for the past two-years, announced the government's decision at a packed Sri Krishna Kalyana Mandir at Mallikatte here on Wednesday, the beaming faces of the families from the villages said it all. Tears welled in the eyes of many, who faced a bleak and uncertain future, as land acquisition process had left them bereft of all government aid.

Madhukar Amin, president of Krishi Bhoomi Samrakshana Samiti, that had been in the forefront of the agitation against land acquisition, told TOI that a big load had been lifted from the shoulders of people of these villages. These villagers can now lead a normal life like others, avail loans, get access to government welfare measures and schemes, he said, adding that even a minor development work had become a mirage for them in the past few years.

Terming the denotification order as victory of truth, Vidya Dinkar, a social activist associated with the Samiti said: "Farmers opposed giving up their fertile agriculture land and they have finally won. The long drawn-out agitation, that spanned nearly four years, reiterates the point that the Samiti has been propounding all along that there should be no forcible acquisition of fertile agricultural land," Vidya said, adding that the Samiti would not rest with this (victory).

Lawrence D'Cunha, secretary of the Samiti, was a bit miffed that the government had not denotified 37.28 acres, for this includes nearly 19 acres of land at Kudubipadavu that belongs to the Kudubi tribe. Hemalatha Bhat, vice-president of the Samiti said: "Success achieved by villagers here should spur farmers in Gadag and elsewhere in Karnataka who are battling forcible acquisition of lands. We have shown the way through peaceful agitation," she added.