Distribute sites to poor are not done, but construction of apartments planned

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Oct 14, 2014: CPM City Committee staged a protest in front of the MCC-Mangalore City Corporation office on october 13, demanding sites for the  poor landless families in the city limits. The CPM which has been staging protests for the cause warned of intensifying the sruggle if the party’s demand is not fulfilled.

Addressing the protesters, CPM Mangalore City Committee Secretary Sunil Kumar Bajal said that over 5,000 applications have been submitted to the MCC in last one decade, but no sites have been sanctioned to the applicants.

The CPM has formed a ’Horata Samiti’ comprising of the poor families that have applied for sites, to press for their rights. Both the BJP and the Congress have been merely making misleading statements only and have not addressed the problem.

Recently, when the CPM helped over 200 people to submit applications seeking sites, the MCC authorities sent a reply note to a few of them saying the documents were not authentic, while other applications were just ignored. Let the MCC clarify about the necessary documents to be submitted to get the work done, he said.

CPM leader Vasanth Achary criticised the authorities for fooling people by claiming that government land in the city was not available, while large portion of government land is given for industrial and business purposes. How was it possible for the government to reserve hundreds of acre land for setting up golf course and other luxuries in Pilikula, when there was no land to distribute to poor, he asked.  MLA J R Lobo and Mayor Mahabala Marla who accepted memorandum from the protesters said that the plan to construct apartments and hand over flats to siteless people was under consideration.  “I have discussed with the deputy commissioner on implementing the programme,” Lobo said. It is hoped that the matter will be resolved soon.