Ex-servicemen protest against govt apathy

NT correspondent

 Bengaluru

Hundreds of ex-servicemen took part in a protest at Freedom Park on Monday claiming that the government has failed to provide the benefits it had promised. They also wrote a letter to Chief Minister Basavarj Bommai listing their demands.

The ex-servicemen alleged that funds and land allocated for them have not been sanctioned by the government, and thousands of them have been deprived of these benefits.

 At the protest site, Shivanna K of All Karnataka Ex-Servicemen Association said the government has disrespected ex-servicemen by not helping them. “We have already submitted a petition seeking allotment of quota land to ex-servicemen in Shivamogga district. But despite the orders from the Governor and the state government, not even an inch of land has been allotted so far. We are tired of chasing the authorities for land allotment for the last twenty-five years,” he said.

Annappa of Sagar Taluk Ex-Servicemen’s Association said that seats allocated to children of ex-servicemen are not provided in educational institutions. “Our children were not able to get into colleges despite getting good ranks. There are seats reserved for our children in engineering and medical colleges as well. But what’s the point if they are not able to avail the benefit,” he said.

 Subhash Chandra Tejaswi, Vice President, of All Karnataka Ex-Servicemen’s Association, said that their main demand is to provide all the promised benefits to ex-servicemen, women and widows of people who sacrificed their lives for the nation.

 “Lands to be sanctioned to ex-servicemen under the Land Reform Act 1969 of the Karnataka State have not been sanctioned to anyone for nearly 30 years. The ex-servicemen cultivating their lands have not been issued a cultivation certificate. Some of them have not been issued sanction letters. Some of them have not been given land even though the sanction letters are issued. We demand that these promised benefits should be provided as soon as possible,” he said.