Mangaluru: The issue concerning the distribution of DC Manna land in Dakshina Kannada will be resolved soon, said deputy commissioner Darshan HV.Speaking at a district-level grievance meeting of scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) leaders at the Nethravati Hall of the Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat, the DC said discussions had already been held at the taluk level on the issue. “There are currently 190 acres of DC Manna land available in the district. The govt has to take a decision on distributing it on a priority to landless people, and wherever necessary, purchasing additional land for distribution. The matter was also discussed with the revenue minister and will be resolved soon,” Darshan said.Dalit leader Ramesh Kotian urged the administration to provide comprehensive details on the available DC Manna land. He recalled that following a protest by Dalit organisations in 2017, a demand had been made to allot 10 cents of land to beneficiaries in urban areas, and at least one acre of agricultural land to those in rural areas. “Several DCs have assumed office since then, but the issue remains unresolved. It should be addressed this time,” he said.According to the DC, 7,377 acres of DC Manna land have already been distributed in the district. A total of 2,222 applications have been received from Dalits for land and house sites. Of these, 1,977 applicants have sought agricultural land, while 245 people from Mangaluru have applied for sites. As many as 1,268 applications have been submitted by landless applicants.“Providing agricultural land will help improve the livelihood of the applicants. Therefore, landless people must be given priority. A proposal in this regard has already been submitted to the govt, and correspondence has been under way since Sept last year,” Darshan said.When leaders demanded that land leased to the Karnataka Cashew Development Corporation in Sullia, Belthangady and Puttur be taken back, the DC directed the DCF to examine the matter and initiate appropriate action.Several Dalit leaders also sought the strengthening of the District Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE) unit. Shekar Laila said sanitation workers appointed through the Sanjivini federation in gram panchayat areas were earning less than Rs 2,000 a month, and urged the administration to reform the system. When leader SP Anand raised issues concerning civic workers, the DC said a separate meeting will be convened soon to discuss their concerns.A Dalit leader said food kits meant to Koraga and Malekudiya tribal families in Dakshina Kannada had not been supplied for the past six months. Darshan attributed the delay to the state-level tender process, and said the matter would be resolved soon.Regarding the delay in constructing Ambedkar Circle in Mangaluru, Mangaluru City Corporation commissioner Rahul Ratnam Pandey said a site inspection had already been conducted.“An action plan will be prepared within a month, following which the project will be put out to tender,” he said.
