Farmers, fishermen to demand their rights in Delhi on Jan 18

Mangalore, Nov 21 (UNI) World Fish Workers Forum President Thomas Kochery today announced that over two lakh people, including farmers and fishermen, would gather in New Delhi on January 18, 2007, under the banner of National Alliance of People's Movement, demanding rights to their land, forest and water resources acquired in the name of development.

Inaugurating a mammoth meeting of farmers and fishermen from the coastal districts of Uttara Kannada, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada here, he said that during March last year, thousands of farmers and fishermen had come together in Brazil for the same reason. In the name of development, natural resouraces were being sold to private industries and multinational companies, leading to increasing deaths and suicides by farmers and fishermen, he alleged.

Referring to the most dilapidated condition of the national highway from Karwar to Mangalore and increasing boat accidents due to non-dredging of harbour along the Karnataka coast for several years, he warned that if the Government did not relay the national highway and complete dredging of all harbours along the coast within two months, the farmers and fishermen with public support would launch an indefinite national highway blockade.

Mr Pramod Madhwaraj, President of Karnataka Kravali Meenugarara Kriya Samiti (Karnataka Coastal Fishermen Action Committee), demanded that Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Ports Minister H D Revanna immediately convene a meeting with leaders of fishermen community to discuss their problems. To add to the woes of fishermen, the Government had leavied Rs 1.50 road cess on them.

UNI MA GD HVB2027