Mysuru:  Members of Welfare Committee of the Mysore Coffee Processing Co-operative Society (MCPCS) on KRS Road, staged a protest in front of the Society and presented a memorandum to Liquidator Vikram Raj Urs, demanding the return of the remaining portion of the land belonging to the coffee growers of Mysuru, Kodagu, Chikkamagalur and Hassan.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Legal Advisor of the Committee K.B. Hemachandra said that the State Government was playing truant in returning five acres and 23 guntas of land to the rightful owners despite protests.

Coffee growers got together in 1953 to establish the MCPCS by procuring 10 acres and 23 guntas of land along KRS Road.

The Society functioned normally for many years and had also constructed several godowns. However, when the sale of coffee was freed from restriction and free market was allowed, the Society began to incur losses and gradually ceased functioning in 1998, following which the State Government appointed a Liquidator.

Later on, subsequent Liquidators auctioned 5 acre, 23 guntas of land, besides bringing down the 9 godowns built in the premises, in order to clear the Society’s debts and for various other reasons, he said.

Despite having cleared the Society’s debts and meeting other obligations, the Liquidators tried to dispose off the remaining 5 acres of landed property belonging to the Society, through a public auction, when the members moved the High Court seeking a stay, he said. The High Court, which heard the Society’s plea, granted a stay on July 9, 2015 against the auction of the remaining landed property, he added.

Later, at the General Body meeting of  MCPCS held on Sept.1, 2015, the members passed a resolution trying to restore the land to the farmers. Again in the General Body Meeting held on Feb.2, 2019, the same demand was passed, he said.

However, a godown space was allotted to Balaji Warehouse on rent where the company stocked cement and fertilisers. This resulted in the weakening of the building. When the MCPCS Welfare Committee brought this issue to the notice of the authorities, instead of vacating them, they have once again allotted the godown to Balaji Warehouse on 11 months rent, alleged Hemachandra.

Hence, today (May 13) they issued a notice to the Director of Co-operative Society, Bengaluru, Managing Director Balaji Warehousing and the Liquidator MCPCS, said Hemachandra.

He said that they had demanded the government to deposit the rent of Balaji Warehousing Company in the Civil Court in Mysuru, where they have filed a case.

The MCPCS Members Welfare Committee Convenor Mookonda Bose Devaiah, Co-convenors Kolathanda Subramani, Chendrimada Ganesh Nanjappa, K.B. Hemachandra and others                  were present.