Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Kootamaippu on Saturday urged the State government to take necessary steps to retrieve panchami lands and hand them over to the rightful owners.
At a press meet held here, forum chairman Dr. M. Muthuramalingam, a retired Chief Medical Officer, said the State government should identify panchami lands in all districts. District-level committees could be formed under the leadership of Collectors for this purpose, he said.
A total of 12,61,013 acres of panchami lands should be retrieved. The committees should be advised on the relevant laws prior to the exercise of identifying the lands. The government should document the lands and digitise it, he said.
Dr. Muthuramalingam said a State-level SC/ST Commission must be set up and the government should ensure its proper functioning. Loans extended by TAHDCO must be waived. There must be an adequate representation for the Scheduled Castes in local bodies.
The forum also demanded that qualified people from SC/ST communities should be considered for the top-level posts in government departments and organisations. Immediate action should be taken against those who committed offences under the SC/ST Act, the forum stressed.
