Pics: Ramesh Pandith

Daijiworld Media Network-Mangaluru (JS)

Mangaluru, Jun 12: Mulageni Okkalu Rakshana Vedike, which has been fighting for the abolition of Mulageni tenancy system in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, demanded the state government to form the rules and implement the Conferment of Ownership on Mulageni or Volamulageni Tenants Act 2012 at the earliest.

In the sixth annual general body meeting of the Vedike at Bendoor Mini Hall on Sunday June 12, Vedike Legal Advisor Gowrishankar said, “No one can vacate you until you pay geni. We have been trying from 2005 to get a new act to provide rights to Mulageni owners. Finally in 2012 this new policy was formed. The guidelines and gazette notification were to be formed but as of now nothing has been formed. According to the policy the tenant has to pay 1000 times more than the geni what he pays annually. For example, if you pay Rs 5 geni then you have to pay Rs 5000. MLA Pramod Madwaraj had opined that it was too less. So they have come to an agreement that on the stamp act, part of guidance value to be paid.”

“For which our members have opposed and disagreed to it since it is really high. MLA Madwaraj had asked us to discuss and unanimously come to a conclusion. That is the reason we have called this general meeting here. People who have been elected and sent are not working on our behalf instead working as the ministers are directing. I am of the opinion that this is a strategy to pass time. We want the policy passed in 2012 to be implemented.”

Dasappa Kamath said, “Though the issue was in the High Court, the government could form rules, as the Court has not granted stay to the implementation of the Act. After the government passed the Act, the landlords filed a writ petition in the court questioning the relevancy of the Act. I request the government to make necessary amendments, form rules and appoint a special officer to implement the Act without further delay. It has been four years since the Act was passed, but the wait of tenants to enjoy the land rights continues.”

He also refuted the demands of landlords to revise the compensation or pay 40 to 50 per cent of the money to the landlords that the tenant gets by selling the land.

It was unanimously decided in the meeting to demand the government to implement Mulageni or Volamulageni Tenants Act 2012 at the earliest and not to make any changes in the act and to pay compensation on the basis of Mulageni and not on the basis of guideline value of land.

Jerald Towers also spoke on the occasion.

President, Mulageni Okkalu Rakshana Vedike, Maxim D'Souza, Office bearesr of Mulageni Okkalu Rakshana Vedike, S S Kamath, Vishwanath Bolar, Jagadeesh Rao and others were present.