The Hindu July 23, 1998

DALITS EXEMPTED FROM LAND REGULATION

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD , July:

A far-reaching decision of exempting dalit families, owning up to 2.5 acres of wet or five acres of dry land in eh Agency Areas of the State, from the provisions of land Transfer Regulation 1 of 1970 was taken today. This Regulation prohibits alienation of land from the Scheduled Tribes to any other person in the State. A broad agreement to this effect was reached at a meeting the Chief Minister, Mr. N. ChandrababuNaidu. Had with floor leaders of Opposition parties.

The Chief Minister is expected to make a statement in the Assembly tomorrow, explaining this decision, as also the decision to maintain law and order in the Agency areas, and to ensure status quo with regard to non-dalit families having pattas to lands in the scheduled areas. The Government agreed t conduct a survey to assess the validity of these pattas.

The Regulation 1 of 1970 has a chequer3ed history. Alienation of land was prohibited in the earlier Regulations of 1917 and 1959 also, but the 1970 Regulation has a "presumption" clause, to the effect that "any immovable property situated in he Agency tracts and in possession f a person who is not a member of Scheduled tribes, is presumed to have acquired it by transfer from and ST". This presumption clause was introduced because of ht Government's experience that vast extent of land in scheduled areas have passed on to non-tribal landlords despite several regulations protection the tribals interests.

While he ws Chief Minister, Dr. M. Channna Reddy promulgated a Government order on August, 13, 1979 , saying that non-tribal landholders owning up to 10 acres of dry or five acres of wet land shall not be evicted under the provisions of the land Transfer Regulations. This GO was struck down by the High Court on he ground that an amendment cannot be against the spirit of the original regulation. Subsequently in1988 when N.T. Rama Rao was Chief Minster, he also convened an all-party meeting in which a similar decision was taken but at that time social activists, intervening on behalf of tribal interests, stalled any amendment to the LTR. Regulation 1 of 1970 has to be amended first by the Tribal. Council, consisting of all MLAs belonging to the Scheduled Tribes, followed by a Presidential Order. The state Assembly has no role to play in approving such an amendment.

There have been clashes in he scheduled areas of West Godavari and Khammam districts in recent months, with tribals attacking non-tribal landholders in occupation of land in the Agency areas. An organisation called Sakti did commendable work in the tribal areas of West Godavari district by digging out land records pertaining to the period 1930-35 showing that the ands, at present in possession of non-tribal landholders of about 80 villages in Jangareddigudem area, originally belonged to tribals.

The tribals then sent petitions to the District Collector, who is the Agency designated to take action under Land Transfer Regulations, and when that Agent started eviction proceedings, eh landholders went to the High Court and got stays orders on the basis of he 1979 GO which was defunct

The mood of the MLA belonging to the Congress, the CPI, the CPM (M), the BJP, among others today, was the small and marginal farmer families belonging to he Scheduled Caste and Backward Classes should be exempted from the LTR. Mr. Puvvada Nageswara Rao, leaders of the CPI, said that there was a broad consensus that a poor farmer belonging to Scheduled Castes of a washer men or barber community should not be evicted under the LTR

The issue figured in the Assembly yesterday because the Opposition gave notice of a motion to discuss the violence in Agency areas of West Godavari district, where tribals attacked a coconut garden belonging to non-tribals attacked a coconut garden belonging to non-tribals farmers, saying that they had no legal right over the land. The Chief Minister, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu said it was a snsitiv3e issue" requiring a decision at an all-party meeting, as a consequence of which the meeting as a consequence of which the meeting was held today at the Chief Mister's chambers in the Assembly.

The Hindu April 12, 1998

SURVEY OF LAND UNDER ILLEGAL OCCUPATION

By Our Staff Reporter

Khammam April 12:

The Minister for Major Irrigation, Mr. T. Nageswara Rao, said here that he Government would take up survey of land under illegal occupation in he scheduled are mandals of Dammapet and Aswaraopet.

Addressing a gathering of tribals who made a representation to him on the land issue at Kodipandaladibba in Dammapet mandal on Saturday evening, he said that the Government would not back out from its commitment to ensure justice to the tribals rendered landless because of violation o the scheduled area regulations.

The Minister said the Khammam district administration had engaged sufficient number of surveyors to complete the work at the earliest. Some more would be drafted for he purpose, if necessary, in both Aswaraopet and Dammapet. He explained that the land survey was not so simple a task to be completed overnight. Seeding the cooperation of both tribals and non-tribals in the effort to restore harmony, he hoped that the local officials would help to resolve the land issue.

The Minister said the district and divisional level officers would make themselves available in the two mandals to take note of he grievance of the tribals by visiting the villages affected by land problem from time to time. He made it clear that the district administration would not spare the officials who failed to respo9nd promptly and impartially to representations coming from both the sides.

The Minister announced that a residential school for the B.C. students would be constructed at a cost of Rs. 3 crores at Dammapet. He visited different villages in he Sathupally constituency to take part in official programmes. Addressing a gathering at Durgamgollagudem village, he said the Government has already constructed residential schooled for ST/SC at Dammapet. The Minister also inaugurated a protected water supply scheme at Linagampalli (some news missing)

The Hindu, April 12, 1998

TRIBAL REJECT MINISTER'S RESETTLEMENT PLAN

By Our Staff Reporter

ASWARAOPET (Khammam dist) April 11.

A sincere effort made by the district Minister, Mr. Tummala Nageswara Rao, and district officials on Friday to bring down the hill kondareddi Tribals who have been living far away from development in Gogulapudi village of Aswaraopet mandal ended in a fiasco with the denizens bluntly refusing to desert their ancestral place. "We live in nature and prefer to die in its lap," said, 55-years-old Gangi Reddy, the village head. He made it clear to the Minster that development should help better their lives instead of depriving them of their means of livelihood.

He wanted the authorities to provide basic amenities, including safe drinking water, in the village instead of asking them to leave it.

The Minister enquired about the socio-economic status of each family. He said that the Integrated Tribal Development Agency could provide them facilities as part of rehabilitation package by constructing a housing colony.

Some of the village youths have evinced interesting availing themselves of the benefits being offered by the ITDA under the tribal development Programme but the aged and disabled members of the village did not appreciate their idea of leaving the village.

As a result the Minister asked the officials who accompanied him to the village to set up a primary school on a priority basis.

The Hindu November 7, 1998

24 INJURED IN CLASH WORTH TRIBALS

By Our Staff Reporter

KHAMMAM, Nov. 6:

Tension prevailed in Malkaram village of Dammapet mandal following a violent clash between tribals and non-tribals on Friday. According to reports reaching here, at least 24 persons were injured in he clash. Most of them happened to be tribals supporting rival groups of Sakti. The injured were admitted to Sathupalli hospital and the serious cases were referred to the district headquarters hospital.

Trouble started as a non-tribal farmer sought to move to the market a tractor load of bananas from his plantation. Part of he land is disputed and the revenue authorities are expected to alienate it for distribution to the tribals. One group of Sakti volunteers led by Mr. Punem Ramesh tried to prevent the farmer from taking away the crop while the rival group headed by Mr. Soyam Venkateswarlu wanted the non-tribal to be allowed to take away the banana load.

What started off with fisticuffs between the leaders resulted in a confrontation between the two sides. Those injured included Punem Ramulu, Madaka Mutyalu, Vanga Ramda, Kolli Purnachandra Rao and Challa Ramakrishna. The tribals armed with bows and arrows made a beeline to Malkaram village from the neighbouring hamlets. Police forces which arrived on the spot dispersed people of both sides.

The joint Collector, Mr. Mohd. Ali Rafat rushed to Sathupalli to take stock of the Situation.

The CPI (M) district committee in a statement issued here appealed to he district administration to ensure protection to he tribals.