Members of Byndoor Taluk Raita Sangha staging a protest by threshing rice sheaves in front of the district complex office at Rajatadri, in Manipal on Friday. | Photo Credit: UMESH S SHETTIGAR
Deputy Commissioner T.K. Swaroopa says teams will be sent to each gram panchayat to get people’s feedback on government proposal
Members of the Byndoor Taluk Raita Sangha, in a novel protest, threshed rice sheaves in front of the district office complex to oppose the inclusion of areas predominantly characterised by rural features into the Byndoor Town Panchayat, at Rajatadri, in Manipal on Friday.
Arriving from Manipal town in a procession in large numbers, the farmers assembled in front of Rajatadri and squatted on the road leading to the complex. Later, they spread ‘Hadi Manchas’ (wooden planks) on the road and threshed rice sheaves they brought along.
Addressing the farmers, Sangha president Deepak Kumar Shetty said that representations had already been submitted to the Deputy Commissioner T.K. Swaroopa, urging the government to exclude rural areas from the Town Panchayat limits. The Deputy Commissioner has also submitted a proposal to the government to restrict the town panchayat limits to 11 wards.
The government should implement the proposal submitted by the Deputy Commissioner, and in no case should it attempt to expand the boundary of the town panchayat by including more villages. Such a move would cause great harm to the rural community, which would be forced to pay higher duties and taxes. Until the government implements the Deputy Commissioner’s proposal, the farmers will not participate in any political event, he said.
Memorandum to DC
Later, the farmers submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner. She assured the farmers that a new committee would be formed and a fresh proposal would be sent to the government.
Ms Swaroopa told The Hindu that the government had initially proposed forming the Byndoor Town Panchayat with an area of about 54 sq. km. However, the district administration, after receiving representations from farmers and other villagers, recommended limiting the jurisdiction to about 11 km. The government has again sought clarification on how such a drastic reduction in the town panchayat jurisdiction could occur.
She has formed teams to visit each gram panchayat and get feedback from people about the proposal. Accordingly, a response would be sent to the government, Ms. Swaroopa said.
