Hunsur: Urging the Government to sanction lands for them which they are rightfully entitled to, over 300 Ex-Servicemen, under the joint banner of Federation of All Karnataka Ex-Servicemen, Federation of Mysuru District Ex-Servicemen, Veera Vanitheyara Okkoota and Sathya Foundation, staged a demonstration near D. Devaraj Urs Statue at Hunsur on Sunday.

Addressing the protesters, Sathyappa, President of Sathya Foundation, said that a good number of Ex-Servicemen are living with their families at different Sainik Quarters that are located in Kasaba hobli and in areas between first and second part of Rathnapuri village in the taluk. 

Pointing out that the Centre has reserved 5,000 acres of land for re-settlement of Ex-Servicemen, he claimed that only 284 out of the 350 Ex-Servicemen have got 8 acres of land as against the ten acres that they are entitled to get.

Noting that while the 284 Ex-Servicemen have been short allotted 2 acres of land, the remaining 66 have not got any land, Sathyappa maintained that repeated representations to the Taluk and District Administrations in this regard have proved futile, with the authorities remaining silent on their demand. 

He urged the authorities to come to the help of Ex-Servicemen by distributing Government sanctioned lands in full to all the eligible Ex-Servicemen. Later a fresh memorandum was submitted to the Taluk Administration.

Earlier, the protesters marched in a procession from Old Bus Stand to D. Devaraj Urs statue.

Office-bearers of various Federations — Shivanna, K.P. Diwakar, Rajani, P.K. Biddappa, Basappa, Nanjundaswamy, Venu, Kumaraswamy, Ramesh and others — took part in the protest.