MRPL Acquiring Our Land through Forgery Say Farmers Samithi
Mangaluru: On behalf of landowners and dependants affiliated to Krishi Bhoomi Samrakshana Samithi (KBSS) in Permude and Kuthethoor of Permude Panchayath, in the outskirts of Mangaluru, as well as other villages in Mangalore Taluk, under threat by MRPL’s Phase 4 expansion plans, Ravikiran Punacha , District President of KRRS, (Hasiru Sene( addressing the media persons during press meet held at Mangalore Press Club said, that Karnataka State Government, through KIADB, has gone ahead with the final notification for acquisition of land totalling 811 acres in the villages above, despite strong opposition as reflected in the Permude Grama Sabha resolutions. It is unacceptable and rather shocking that the entire process of usurping land has been done through the out-dated KIAD Act of 1966 which is based on the now invalid Land Acquisition Act of 1894.
That this is done by a state headed by the very same Congress party which vehemently advocated, and boasted about being fair to land owners through bringing in and adopting the new LARR Act in 2013; the very same party that opposed any amendments to dilute this Act by the BJP Government, makes it a cruel joke. Although the Hon’ble Karnataka HC in an April 2017 judgment clearly stated that using the old KIAD Act is illegal, and the matter is still pending before the court, KIADB continued the acquisition process in the villages of Permude, Kuthethoor and others. The hypocrisy of the State Government has been clearly exposed which projects itself as being pro-farmer but has clearly failed the real farmers of the area, added Ravikiran.
Blaming KIADB for being merely an agent for Land grabbers, Lawrence D’Cunha, Secretary of KBSS said that KIADB and MRPL have been intimidating land owners and activists opposing their attempted land grab, by periodically serving on them caveats of the District and High Courts over the past two years, the first round having come much before even the preliminary notification for acquisition. This pressure tactic seems to have been employed by them without the knowledge of the KIADB’s parent department in the State! Repeated RTI queries by many in our group to get vital documents like those pertaining to the individual 28(3) Enquiry of 15.02.2017 or the JMC Survey reportedly completed in our areas, were consistently denied for over a year by the Special Land Acquisition Officer at KIADB, Baikampady, even as land acquisition procedures progressed behind closed doors to grab farmers’ lands.
This indicated a clear collapse of the administrative machinery; finally necessitating an all day protest dharna up to 10.30 pm at the KIADB office on 13.03.18 to secure documents that should have been public anyway. When we finally succeeded in obtaining the information, our doubts about documents being doctored by KIADB to support MRPL’s bid to pick up land at any cost, were confirmed. Feeling fearful and frustrated about their reversal, KIADB officials, under directions from MRPL, filed false cases on the farmers & their supporters, in spite of our attempt to secure long outstanding documents being totally nonviolent & from start to finish, in the presence of the Panambur Police on the 13th of March, added Dcunha.
Dcunha further said that all the lands including the fertile wet lands (termed tari in RTCs) that amount to 45% of the lands being acquired, have all been termed waste, barren, dry lands. Not a single document from KIADB files shows which lands, survey numbers the Land Acquisition Officer has inspected, on which dates; whether he has served notices to the Panchayat or individual land owners before any such site inspection. This demonstrates that the whole exercise was simply an eye wash by KIADB to aid MRPL’s land grab. KIADB Baikampady does not have a Comprehensive project report, doesn’t know the number of families to be displaced or to be provided with jobs. Without having details, it advocates on behalf of the Company on land need, legal matters etc and the State just wants to go by it.
Also speaking during the press meet, Vidya Dinker, Coordinator of Karavali Karnataka Janabhivriddhi Vedike said that there is Misuse of the State’s Power of Eminent Domain – Point 5.1.1.2 of the Karnataka State Industrial Policy 2014-2019, states that – The guidelines of ‘The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013’ promulgated by Government of India will be followed while acquiring land for industrial purpose. Point 5.1.1.6 of the same policy states that ‘Land requirement of the projects will be audited by Government before approval to ensure optimal utilization of available land.’
Also, the Land Audit Committee of the State is to assess the present land use and whether it is irrigated or cultivable land. All Policy pronouncements have been ignored. Both the State Land Audit Committee and the High-Level Clearance Committee have neither adhered to their terms of reference nor been transparent about their role by furnishing RTI applicants with appropriate documents. Despite industrial land being available in the vicinity and this being a hazardous petrochemical industry seeking land for further expansion in agricultural wetlands and horticultural gardens, none of the members of the committee applied their mind, sought further clarifications or made a site visit before simply accepting MRPL’s project proposal, added Vidya.
She further said that On the night of 13th March 2018, the Tahsildar visited us at the site of our agitation at KIADB on behalf of the Deputy Commissioner, DK District. After hearing us and seeing the documents furnished, he assured us that the district administration will direct immediate halting of the land acquisition proceedings for MRPL’s Phase 4 plant facility in Permude and Kuthethoor villages; and will institute an enquiry to look into the irregularities, omissions and commissions of KIADB staff, especially the SLAO (Special Land Acquisition Officer). We demand that the SLAO also be suspended from all duties with loss of pay till completion of the enquiry. And we shall fight till we get justice, and also our protest will continue until SLAO is suspended.
Madhukar Amin-President and Hemalatha S.Bhat -Vice President respectively of Krishi Bhoomi Samrakshana Samithi were also present on the dais.
