25,000 landless march in capital today

No sooner has the UPA government managed to formulate a National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy that demands are being made for a National Land Reforms Policy and a Land Reforms Commission.

A civil society movement "" 2007 "" comprising 25,000 landless and displaced people from 15 states is marching towards Delhi from Gwalior to draw attention to this demand.

"This non-violent mass padyatra of over 350 km has its roots in the direct experience of suffering and poverty of millions of landless labourers, displaced adivasis, deprived Dalits and small and marginal farmers," says PV Rajagopal, vice-chairman of Gandhi Peace Foundation.

Spearheaded by Ekta Parishad, a mass movement for land and livelihood rights, people from rural lands are demanding a national land policy and a Commission to deliver on the policy promises.

"Let the centre and state governments decide once and for all what land is surplus land, wasteland, scrub-land, forest, what's for roads and railway lines and what's for SEZs. Besides drafting the Land Reforms Policy, we also demand a commission comprising prominent personalities associated with land rights movements. The commission should be given at least a five-year mandate to oversee and monitor progress on land distribution and entitlement programmes by the states," Rajagopal, who is also the president of Ekta Parishad said.

The activists have already submitted a draft framework for the commission to the government through the prime minister who has deputed the rural development minister to look into it.

The activists feel there is a serious need for a 'single window' system at district level, which people can approach directly with land access, occupancy, tenancy and ownership issues.

After the first and second five-year Plans, the centre has paid little attention to land reforms and this is clearly reflected in the policies as well as budgetary allocations.

Land promised under the Bhoodan movement is yet to reach people. People had been jailed as Naxalites, extremists etc for raising the issue of their ancestral lands that today fall under forest areas etc, he said.

If the government does not announce a policy and related commission by tomorrow (October 28), the activists said that they would sit on a indefinite protest before the Parliament on October 29. On October 28, after the rally reaches Delhi, there would be a public meeting in Ramlila grounds which would be attended by leaders like A B Bardhan, Brinda Karat and Shibu Soren, said Ramesh Sharma, coordinator of Janadesh rally.

Not only the Left parties but even the senior ministers in the government seem to have noticed the rally. "Everyone is trying not to come face to face with these people. We cannot just dismiss them saying that they are here to disturb the tranquillity of the capital," human resources development minister Arjun Singh said at a conference on Friday.

"They will continue to pester, till you (the elite, political sections) give up or give in," he added.

The Janadesh march from October 2- October 29 2007 was declared at a mass meeting of over 5,000 people at Gwalior.

Land Facts

Wasteland According to National Remote Sensing Agency (2006), there are 32.83 million hectares of cultivable wasteland in India and 20.45 million hectares of uncultivable wasteland.

Tribal land Alienation About 56 per cent of ceiling-surplus land given to tribal communities is under possession of landlords.

Land Acquisition After Independence about 40 million people have been displaced due to land acquisitions.

Land under courts About 909,467 acres of land is under litigation in different courts in the states.

Source: EKTA PARISHAD