Oppn condemn razing of tribal hamlet; stage dharna at Tadwai

Tadwai (Jayashanker Bhupalpally): The leaders of Opposition parties have staged a dharna here on Sunday on NH 163 protesting razing of a tribal hamlet at Jalagalancha under Pasra range in Govindaraopet mandal in the district on Saturday.
TDP leader Seetakka, Congress leaders P Balram Naik and P Veeraiah, All India Adivasi Congress vice chairman T Bellaiah Naik, leaders of Human Rights Forum, Tudum Debba, BJP, CPI and CPM took part in the rasta-roko for about three hours condemning the forest officials’ raid on the hamlet.

It was inhuman to attack the innocent tribals and destroying huts and standing crops of Guttikoyas. The State government must compensate the loss suffered by the tribals and rebuilt their hamlet, the leaders demanded.

Seetakka complained that ever since the TRS government came to power the attacks on tribals living in the forests have increased. She said eviction of tribals was illegal as the forest laws clearly say that whoever was cultivating land in reserve forests as of 2005 would possess ownership to the land.

For the past 21 years Guttikoyas were living at Jalagalancha engaged in cultivation of an extent of 150 acres for survival and it was their natural way of living. They were also given social security cards by the government, she noted.

Bellaiah Naik complained that Guttikoyas were being subjected to unjustified harassment by the forest officials even as the forest rights act suggests that tribals should not to be displaced from their forest dwellings. ‘They belong here, holds right to live inside the forest,’ he added.

Seetakka along with others has visited the hamlet and interacted with the tribals. She offered a financial assistance of Rs 5,000 to each family and five quintals of rice to the affected families.