Land Struggle to start in Kerala from January 2013

The CPI(M) Kerala state committe will start the land struggle (Bhoo Samaram) and occupy government land in illegal possession of individuals from the 1st of January 2013. The party is of the view that The government should take over all lease-expired properties in the State and distribute it among landless tribal people and those in the economically weaker sections of society.  Large tracts of government land were in illegal possession and there was large-scale encroachment on government land. Such land should be taken back by the government. The government was trying to amend the paddy and wetland conservation law to help the ‘land mafia’ in the State. There were also moves to amend the Kerala Land Utilisation Act to help the conversion of paddy and other agriculture land. The land ceiling law should be applied to huge tracts of and bought by the ‘land mafia’ in recent times.

With These demands the agricultural organisations, KSKTU (Kerala State Karshaka Thozhilali Union) AIKS (All India Kisan Sabha) PKS (Scheduled Caste and Tribe Development organisation) are going on the war path from the New Year day of 2013 onwards. 

Two Jathas proclaiming the demands of the struggle was inaugurated from the two ends of Kerala. CPIM General Secretary Com. Prakash Karat Inaugurated the South zone jatha from Neyyatinkara in Trivandrum District, while the North Zone jatha was inaugurated by CPIM P B Member Com. S Ramachandran Pillai from Kasargod District. The south zone jatha is led by CPIM CC Member com. E P Jayarajan and the North Zone jatha is led by CC member Com A Vijayaragahavan. 

CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat while inaugurating the jatha alleged that attempts were on in the country to sabotage land reforms legislation under the cover of industrial requirements. "An attempt is on by the Centre and state governments to sabotage land reforms by handing over agriculture lands to corporates and such monopolies should be resisted," he said. Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura were the only three states where land reforms had been implemented and this was mainly due to the governments run by Left parties, Karat said.

The CPI(M) leader lambasted the Congress led UDF government in the state, saying it was trying to weaken the land reform act in the state with its decision to allow five per cent of Plantation land for other purposes. 'The decision will have serious adverse consequences. With this government decision, nearly 1000 acres would reach the hands of real estate groups," he alleged. In Kerala, land was scarce, but the number of landless people were more, he said. The possibility of poor landless people getting land would become difficult with government's new land policy, he said.

Karat also urged people to oppose UDF government's move to dilute the legislation for protection and conservation of water bodies and paddy fields brought by the previous LDF government. The UDF government planned to bring amendments to allow conversion and filling of paddy fields, he alleged.

“The United Democratic Front, whenever it comes to power, tries to scuttle the Act to delay the identification of surplus land for swift and effective rehabilitation of hundreds of landless families in the State. The present dispensation is continuing the same policy,” S. Ramachandran Pillai, Polit Bureau member of the party, alleged while inaugurating the north-zone leg of its land protection march at Kumbla in Kasargod. He said the party would intensify its agitation for rehabilitation of the landless people in the State.

The march, led by the party Central Committee member A. Vijayaraghavan, will join the south-zone leg from Neyyattinkara in Ernakulam on December 23, culminating in a public function expressing solidarity with the landless people in the State.

CPI(M) demands probe into land deals around Chamundi Hills

Members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Mysore district committee, staged a protest in Mysore on Monday urging the State government to order a probe into land deals involving more than 2,000 acres in and around Chamundi Hills.

The 1951 agreement between the erstwhile Mysore royal family and the Government of India should be scrapped as the land in contention belonged to the State, they said.

‘Issue title deeds’

The protesters criticised the district administration for remaining “silent” on issuing title deeds to farmers who had been cultivating ‘bagair hukum’, ‘gomala’, ‘gundutopu’, forest and revenue land for over 40 years. They demanded that the government initiate the process of issuing title deeds.

The land mafia had entered politics in the district and had a hand in the distribution of sites by the Mysore Urban Development Authority, they charged. The CID probe ordered by the government was dismissed as “eyewash”.

The workers drew the attention of the government to “large-scale irregularities” in land purchase by the Karnataka Housing Board for developing a housing complex at Gungaral Chatra area and surrounding villages in Mysore taluk. This case too should be handed over to the CBI or the Lokayukta, they demanded.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

Backward classes students to get own hostels in Vizakhapatnam after SFI Struggle

Students belonging to the backward classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Visakhapatnam will soon have hostels of their own, a team of district officials assured protesting students at a rally conducted by the Student Federation of India (SFI)  on the 6th Decemeber.

Thirty-eight activists of the SFI, who were on fast for the last five days in front of the Collectorate here demanding that the government solve the problems relating to hostels and other issues, called off their protest following an assurance from district officials that the issues that could be solved at the district level would be addressed to immediately. 

The officials, including additional joint collector Narasinga Rao and deputy director BC welfare department Srinivasa Rao, said the DRO had been asked to identify land for the construction of the buildings. About 5,000 students from over 31 hostels have been agitating over issues pertaining to the upkeep and running of the hostels for the last couple of days.

L Satyavathi, an inmate of BC Hostel at Isukathota and SFI activist, said that inmates have been suffering over the past one year due to the indifference of the authorities. "Out of about 31 hostels spread across the city, 19 are set up in rented buildings. The welfare department has not paid the rent for the past one year and the owners, instead of dealing with the authorities concerned, have been threatening to evict us. At times they also cut power and water supply to harass us," she said.

Member of Legislative Council from the Graduate Constituency, North Coastal AP, MVS Sarma, alleged that the government was aware of the situation but was deliberately not doing anything to resolve it. "In reality they want to phase out the hostels and hand them over to the private sector. To get the attention of the government, the students had to take up an agitation," said Sarma. Apart from the building issue, the students said they have been facing scores of other problems. Most of the hostels are supposed to be managed by students. Earlier each of the student was being paid a paltry sum of Rs 520 per month to cover their expenses for breakfast, lunch, dinner and other things like laundry and stationary. Due to the meager amount doled out, students said over the last six months they were often forced to skip their breakfast and cut down on eggs and plantains, which were supposed to be provided at least three days a week. "There were days when we did not even have sufficient rice to cook and had to depend on starch," said Ganga Rao of SFI.

The authorities have now enhanced the amount to Rs 1050, but no one knows from when it will be implemented, said Satyavathi. "Even Rs 1050 is very low compared to the rising prices," said Sarma.

The hostels, be it for girls or boys, do not have adequate bathrooms. One bathroom has to be shared by at least 25 inmates. The windows and doors are broken and the security aspect has been completely ignored. There is also no running water and facility for safe drinking water is missing in most of the hostels. It may be recalled that a year ago there were two deaths due to water borne diseases.

However, the additional joint collector said on Wednesday that the concerned departments such as BC welfare and SC and ST welfare would take up the pending issues on a war footing. "We would not only focus on constructing our own new buildings but also take up repairs and maintenance and provide filtered and treated water facility to all hostels," said the additional joint collector.n While the authorities have agreed to almost all the demands, we will have to wait and watch to see whether it will translate into action or if it is just a ploy to quell the agitation, said CPM district secretary Ch. Narasinga Rao.

 

Among the students who went on fast were SFI State vice-president Jagan and city secretary Chinnari.

 

CPI(M) city secretary B. Ganga Rao, district secretary of UTF Y.A.R.K. Prasad, and DYFI leader B.A. Naidu expressed their solidarity with the students.

 

CPI(M) lay siege to Vijayawada sub collector’s office

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has laid a siege to Sub Collector’s Office in Vijayawada on 10th December to draw the attention of the State Government on problems faced by the people in the city. 

The people in large numbers turned out near the Sub Collector’s office on Monday. The police took nearly 200 people into custody as soon as they reached the dharna spot. The police shifted the agitators, including CPI(M) leaders, to Suryaraopeta and Governorpeta police stations. 

They were locked up at the police stations till afternoon. The agitators staged a dharna at the Governorpeta police station against the arrests. The CPI(M) leaders, earlier, addressing the gathering, said that the commonman was not in a position to bear the burden being levied by the government under the garb of surcharges, and cap on subsidised LPG cylinders. The AICC president Sonia Gandhi has announced that 9 subsidised cylinders would be supplied in Congress ruled states, but the State Government is averse to it. 

The people were at the receiving end due to inefficiency of the Government, they said. The fuel adjustment surcharge was a burden of Rs.16,000-crore on the people. The people were at the receiving end due to the nepotism in the Government and its policies on the power sector. The policies were benefiting the private companies like GMR, and the Lanco owned by Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal. 

The Government was stealing from the people to giving to corporate companies, the said. Rao said that the Government imposed a burden of Rs.20,000 crore on the people in last two years. The people went broke because of the new takes and hike in old one, user charges etc. The people should teach a befitting lesson to the Government, they said, adding, the Government would fall if it did not withdraw the surcharges.The CPI(M) Central Committee member Paturu Ramaiah, city secretary Ch. Babu Rao and others were present