The meetings, to begin on Friday, will go on till April 5
The Dakshina Kannada unit of the BJP will hold meetings of ‘kumki’ land holders from March 25 to April 5 in 230 gram panchayats to press the government to grant up to five acres of ‘kumki’ land to eligible ‘patta’ land holders for free.
‘Kumki’ land refers to the plots situated adjacent to ‘patta’ farm land of farmers. It is used for cattle grazing. The shrubs grown on ‘kumki’ land are used as natural fertilizer in the fields.
The farmers also have the right to use leaves, wood, agriculture and forest produce grown or available on the land.
Addressing presspersons here on Tuesday, K. Pratapsimha Nayak, president, Dakshina Kannada unit of the BJP, said that the BJP government had prepared a draft amendment to the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964, according to which the government could grant ‘kumki’ land up to five acres to eligible farmers for free.
The government should take it forward to make it a reality to allow farmers to use the land for farming.
He said that the information about the extent of ‘kumki’ land in each panchayat and the number of farmers having rights over it would be collected in the meetings.
Later, it would be submitted to the government along with a memorandum urging it to grant the land to farmers.
If the government did not respond favourably, agitations would be launched in taluks.
According to the BJP, the ‘kumki’ rights were recognised and granted by the then British government to farmers in the erstwhile South Canara which was then part of the Madras Presidency. It was because the top soil of farm land got eroded following heavy rain and they lost fertility.
Then farmers were given rights over ‘kumki’ land to cut shrubs, gather leaves grown there and use the same as natural fertilizer.
‘Kumki’ land refers to the plots situated adjacent to ‘patta’ farm land of farmers
It is used for cattle grazing
The shrubs grown on ‘kumki’ land are used as natural fertilizer in the fields
The farmers also have the right to use leaves, wood, agriculture and forest produce grown or available on the land
