Mangalore, February 21: Hundreds of homeless and shelter less poor citizens of Mangalore on Monday laid siege to Mangalore City Corporation under the banner of Democratic Youth Federation of India to exert pressure on the district administration and State Government to allow them to lead a life with dignity by granting them a place to dwell and restoring House Rent Control Act.
Addressing the gathering in front of the MCC, DYFI District President Muneer Katipalla warned that district administration itself will be responsible if the frustrated protesters take law into their hands and express their frustration through violent means in the coming days.
“The shelter less and homeless citizens of Mangalore waited for several years patiently submitting applications to the district administration believing that it will fulfill their demands. But, now they have realised that neither the state government nor the district administration will take any action to restore the rights of poor citizens and hence they have woken up for an unending agitation against the rulers” Katipalla said.
“This time we blocked the MCC and the protest will be worsened if the administration continues to show its negligence towards the rights of the people, who are unable to cope up with ever rising house rents in the area,” he said, warning that “We will not allow any politician or concerned authorities to wander in the streets.”
“If you fail to provide them shelter, they are ready to take shelter in the office of Deputy Commissioner. They will cook food and sleep there” he said.
Raitha Sangha leader Yadava Shetty addressing protesters said that due to the advent of multinational companies and under the pretext of Special Economic Zone, the number of shelter less and houseless people is increasing in the city and surroundings with every passing day. “The District Administration, the State Government and the Central Government are solely responsible for this growing number of shelter less people and hence it is their joint responsibility to address the woes of these people” he said.
He lamented that although the government dares to grab farmlands to set up of industries, construction of golf courses and other purposes, the common people of the city are being deprived of their constitutional rights of water, shelter and education etc.
Local representatives of DYFI Santhosh Kumar, Imthiyaz and Dayananda were among those present. The protesters also submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Subodh Yadav and MCC Commissioner KN Vijaya Prakash later.
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