Focus on Tribal Land Issue in Sattupalli

The Hindu August 20, 1999 .

By Our Staff Reporter.

Sattupalli (Khammam DT), Aug 19

As the election draws closer, trouble from the tribals appears tangible for the Minister for Major irrigation, Mr. Tummala Nageswara Rao. The TDP will be denominating him from Sattupalli, an assembly constituency which has been the centre stage for the tribal, non-tribal face-off for the past.

The Minister perceives no serious threat from the rival Congress -1 which is yet to announce its candidate. But it is not the same with the tribals who nursed hostile relationship with the well to of non-tribals farmers identified with him and his party. Though he made all efforts to restore normal relations between the two sides, it made no positive impact on the tribals.

The minister who has just started his election campaign is yet to gauge the mood of the tribal voters. They have been silenced by steeping up the presence of the slaw enforcing agencies in the district. But their villages remained as sensitive as ever and they are prone to fresh flare-ups even with slightest provocation. The Sattupalli assembly constituency accounts for the highest number of 24 hyper sensitive villages in the district.

Neither 'Sakti', an organisation which, mobilized tribals against non-tribals enjoying the government land nor the CPI(M)which sought to cash in on the situation to settle political scores with the district minister were now in control of the tribal agitation. A section of the tribals have come under the fold of the 'Tudem Debba,' a tribal organization. Some leaders are in touch with both the Telugu Desam and the Congress-1.

Tribal leader to contest

But a majority of the tribals are away from the influence of all political parties. The real problem is posed by a core group led by Mr. Soyam Chandrasekhar of Kothuru village. Ever since the police raided the village resulting in arrest of Mr. Chandrasekhar, there was a lull in the activity, Mr. Chandrasekhar, who sounds unreasonable in his arguments, was the only tribal leader who remained unyielding who in the agitation.

He is planning to enter the fray against the district Minister. He has obviously no political ambitions, but he wants to highlight from Sattupalli. He is hopeful of being supported by the entire tribal community in the two mandals if Aswaraopet and Dammapet.

By virtue of being a candidate, Mr. Chandrasekhar hopes to gain access to tribal villages to campaign against the ruling party candidate. "We include the wrath of police for attempting to prevent cultivation in such disputed lands. No political party

had to come to our rescue. There was no need for the tribes to vote for any political, party". He says.

The district administration had taken possession off over 3500 acres of land in the illegal occupation of the non-tribal farmers and distributed to the landless tribals. .

Mr. Chandrasekhar is one of the beneficiaries. But he did not give up the cause. A few of the tribal youths who initially spearheaded the land issue as the volunteers of Sakti were rehabilitee under the self-employment schemes. They were given loan assistance for purchase of ambulance vehicles which were engaged by administration for the tribal hospitals. Such beneficiaries have been have lost the hold on the tribals fighting for land. Though they have been supporting the minister indirectly, they were mot in a position to campaign openly for the TDP as it would cost the sympathies if the tribals they had enjoyed.

The attitude of the tribals is no way different towards the Telugu Desam almost on every village in the constituency, including Gandugulapalli, the native village if the Minister, Mr. Tummala Nageswara Rao. The minister was instrumental in providing them all the basic amenities, Every four to five tribal houses were covered by one public tap.

But the tribals felt offended as the control system for the water supply was retained by non-tribal . Some of the taps were not getting water because of inadequate pressure.

A resident of the tribal colony, Mr. Bandaru Venkateswar Rao, says that the tribal community was undecided as to whom to vote for. Most of the residents are firm on questioning the Minister for their votes, he said. A majority of the families were provided and at the rate of one acre each. But some families were tilling the land without the documents in their favour. Farmers have been staking claim for the land this distributed to some of the land less families, he said.

Non-tribals plea

The non-tribals farmers who had lost the land in the process of alienation and reallotment to the tribals are unhappy. They were maintaining a deceptive silence. Mr. Ankat Gopala Rao, who claims to be the first TDP worker if Malkaram, one of t he villages said that most of the farmers have the heartburn as the land developed so well were taken over from them and distributed to the tribals.

About 150 acres of land was distributes un the village dominated by non-tribals families of perika community. Whether to vote for the TDP or not would be the decision of the village head, Mr. Ankat Pullaiah, who also lost about 11 acres of fertile land. Another farmer, Mr. Nallapu Mallikarjun said that the Minister had done his best to settle the land issue amicably and restore normality in the scheduled area villages. He said the Minister was successful in avoiding bloodshed in trouble torn villages.

LAND SURVEY SOUGHT

Deccan Chronicle, June 3, 1999

From our Bureau.

Hyderabad, June 2 : Human Rights Forum, a voluntary body on Wednesday demanded there state government to conduct a state government to conduct a land survey in the agency areas of trouble-torn West Godavari and Khammam districts to peacefully settle the problems between tribals and non-tribal. Talking to news-men, forum conveners Suneetha and S. Jeevan Kumar condemned the anti-tribal attitude of Agriculture Minister K Vidyadher Rao, Major and Medium irrigation Minister Tummala Nageahwara Rao, revenue and the police officials.

Demanding the government to immediately releaser the tribals of Jeelugumilli and Buttaigudem mandals of West Godavari and to with draw the false cases booked against them, they asked the government to strictly implement the APSALTR Act popularly known as regulation of 1 of 70). The government should also consider reducing the ceiling limit for land in the agency areas, they said.

KHAMMAM TRIBALS ON WARPATH

By Our Staff Reporter.

The Hindu, December 18, 1999

The tribals of Aswaraopet and Dammapet, who had all the time been fighting no-tribals for the scheduled area lands under illegal occupation, are now aiming their barbs against the Forest Development Corporation (FD).

When the land agitation was at its height, the tribals were pacified by the Government by assuring them of rights over the crop from the cashew plantation of the Forest Development Corporation at Naramvarigudem in Aswaraopet mandal which is extended over an area of 1600 acres.

The tribals, who are landless, in fact pinned high hopes on the plantation which was about two decade old. The corporation had earlier sanctioned licenses to collect the cashew fruit even to non-tribal contractors. Since such a leasing system was violative of the Scheduled Area Regulation 1/70, the tribal welfare department insisted on the sanction of the licenses to collect the cashew fruit to the tribals.

Keen on ensuring a fair deal to the tribals who had already been on the rampage in the area, the Government sought to hand over the cashew plantation to the landless tribals of the area by forming Vana Samrakshana Samitis (VSS). The District Minister, Mr. Tummala Nageswara Rao, made an assurance to this effect before the election. The tribals had so far been under the impression that their enjoyment of the cashew crop would be in accordance with other schemes prepared by the administration to find a solution to the land issue.

But much to their dismay, the Government in its order (G.O Rt.No.523 issued by the Department of Environment and Forests on December 1) wanted the tribal beneficiaries to be formed into a tribal cooperative. The cooperative should pay the Forest Development Corporation an amount which would not be less than the average price obtained by the Forest Development Corporation during the past three years to get the right for collection of the cashew crop.

The tribal beneficiaries were in for a rude shock to know that they had to pay about Rs.22 lakhs this year for getting the crop collection rights. Besides this, the cooperative was asked to share the benefit of the general inflaction with the Forest Development Corporation by enhancing the rates from year to year. so that the income of the Forest Development Corporation would not remain static.

The tribals are quite unhappy because the plantation was already quite old and the yield was expected to come down drastically after the next five years. There are over 9000 landless tribal families in the villages around Naramvarigudem and their economic status will in no way permit them to go in for a deal involving such huge licence amount. It would ultimately be the burden of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) which had already been funneling large amounts for the development of over 3000 acres of land assigned to tribals last year in the two mandals.

The tribals were unhappy also because only 1200 acres of the cashew plantation is going to be handed over to their cooperative, against the total 1600 acres promised to them earlier.

The Forest Development Corporation had justified its stand on the plea that the plantation was raised and maintained at a huge cost. The tribals contend that the Corporation had already made good all its investment and there was no need to treat them in the same business interest with which it had dealt all those who collected the crop so far.