PONDA: Tribal farmers from Querim on Wednesday demanded protection under Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 and urged the SC & ST commissioner Deepak Karmarkar to save their tenanted land from being grabbed by landlord and migrant builder lobby.
Based on complaints from these tribal farmers of land grabbing, destruction of their cashew and trees, Karmarkar on Wednesday inspected the bagayat in the area.
The farmers alleged that several cashew trees had been felled and destroyed by a migrant builder lobby in their tenanted land, thereby snatching their livelihood.
The farmers claimed that to cover up the issue, an attempt was made to destroy evidence and urged the commissioner to deliver justice and protect their land and trees.
Speaking to reporters, the farmers said earlier they had protested twice at Martyrs Memorial at Kranti Maidan, Ponda and had even urged the mamlatdar to conduct an inquiry into the matter.
The farmers said they have been tenants of the land for several decades and despite growing cashew and several trees, vegetables, the landlord has sold the land to migrant builders by keeping them in the dark, by not taking them into confidence despite raising objections.
The farmers said their tenanted land falls in the no development zone (NDZ) and despite this, earthmovers are used to fell trees. The farmers alleged that they have been harassed by migrant builders, who have purchased the land and forced them to vacate their tenanted land.
