Madikeri: Ex-servicemen took to streets demanding action against the revenue department officials for indicting two former army officials from Ammathi over issue of land rights on January 20.
MLA K G Bopaiah, addressing the protestors said, “Ex-servicemen who guarded nation’s borders taking to streets does not augur well and the responsibility lies on the government to solve their problems by providing basic amenities”.
The Akrama-Sakrama Committee had cleared 1000 applications but the government of the day cancelled those allotments, Bopaiah stated.
He urged the district administration to provide land to all the deprived ex-servicemen based on the availability of government land in the district.
Private companies have encroached upon thousands of acres of government land and ex-servicemen should be allotted land by evicting all those companies, MLA from the region Appachu Ranjan demanded.
Ex-servicemen Union President Maj. General (Retd) B A Cariappa said prior to 1991, government used to allot 5 to 10 acre of land for each ex-servicemen and rued over the decision to stop that process completely.
Ex-servicemen Union members along with people from other leading organisations formed a human chain during the silent protest which lasted for over 10 minutes.
They warned the district administration of intensifying their protests if suitable action was not taken within 3 months’ time.
