Sullia: Setting aside party affiliations, all the elected representatives of Sampaje village panchyath staged a protest holding flex banners in front of the Tahsildar’s office seeking fulfillment of their demands on Saturday, July 16.
Fourteen members including ten from the ruling Congress and four from the opposition BJP demanded that their long pending demands be fulfilled without further delay. Their demands included setting up a electric sub-station, place for burial ground and crematorium for people of all religions, police out-posts and solid waste management plant.
They alleged that the electric sub-station issue is pending from 15 years due to land dispute involving revenue and forest departments and wanted the taluk administration to resolve the same. According to them, since the land is not allotted for various projects, the development works have come to a standstill. They emphasized that there are no selfish motives behind their protests, but are seeking to improve the overall village infrastructure.
Solution in a week’s time: Taluk officials
The protests were withdrawn after the forest, revenue and police officials jointly assured of resolving land issues within a week. Tahsiladar B. Anathshankar, Range forest officer Prashathkumar Pai, Sullia police sub-inspector HV Chanrashekhar and Revenue inspector RC Avin were present on the occasion to hear the pleas of the agitating elected village representatives.
‘If demands are not met, will intensify protests’
Speaking on the occasion, Somashekhar Koingaje warned of intensifying protests in front of revenue and forest department offices if their genuine and long pending demands are not met. He warned of involving villagers of 14 villages which come under the purview of the sub-station.
