POLICE WITHDRAWN FROM MINISTER'S VILLAGE

By Our Staff Reporter

The Hindu. April 18, 1999

KHAMMAM, April 17.

Police forces were withdrawn from Gandugulapalli, the home village of the Minister for major Irrigation, Mr. Tummala Nageswar Rao, on Saturday.

The police personnel were deployed on April 11 as a strong mob of Tribals attempted to take away the cashew crop from the lands of a non-tribal farmer.

THE MAN WHO TAUGHT TRIBALS TO FIGHT AGAINST ATROCITIES

From Our Bureau

The Hindu. September 15, 1999

Sattuplly, Sept. 14:

He is a rebel with a cause. And in a country where Tribals have not known to speck up to the atrocities against them, and succeed as well, Soyam Chandrasekhar, a tribal, has shown the way to the villagers of kothur in Dammapeta mandal under Sattupalli Assembly constituency by mobilizing them to fight for their rights.

He is as ordinary as one can be but the police shiver at the mention of his name. The 31- years-old tribal claimed that he has been beaten by the police several time. "They told me not to organize the agitation. I refused to comply. As a result, I have 39 cases filed against me by the police," he said.

It is because of Chandrasekhar's efforts that the Tribals are beginning to realize their rights. Especially with regards to their lands.

In the tribal areas, known as agency areas, non-Tribals cannot own land. Those who, however, had purchased the lands before 1970 can continue to own them. but according to Act 1 of 1970, non-tribal cannot sell their land to non-Tribals in the agency areas. The lands have to necessarily be sold only to the Tribals. Even Tribals should not sell their land to non-Tribals.

'The Government does not bother to implement the Act. When we raise our voice against the injustice being done to us, our voices are stifled," said Chandrasekhar. According to him, they had held several demonstrations at Dammapet. "We want the lands to be re-surveyed and given to the Tribals', said the tribal leader.

Since he was not succumbing to threats, the power-that-be thought they can buy hi off by giving him five acres of land. Chandrasekhar, however, refused to touch the land until the area was re-surveyed and allotted to the Tribals.

"How can we keep quiet when non-Tribals occupy hundreds of acres of land in the agency areas?" asked Sisam Vasanth Rao, another tribal. the Tribals alleged that hundreds of acres of Government land was in the hands of non-Tribals.

When they pleas went in vain, the Tribals resorted to "theft". The Tribals warn the non-Tribals against growing anything in their fields, if the warning is ignored, then the Tribals take away the produce. On one occasion, the Tribals harvested all the plantains while in another non-trial's fields, they plucked all the coconuts.

RALLY BY TRIBALS FOR NON-TRIBALS' CAUSE?

By Our Staff Reporter

The Hindu. March 3, 1999.

BHADRACHALAM, March 2.

The Atavi Pranta Girijana Sangham organized a big tribal rally here on Monday evening with a slogan that had little to do with the tribes.

Stream of people who came from the remote areas, waving red flags and banners, took part in the rally that was spearheaded by the CPI (M) leadership. As the usual practice required, the main demand in a tribal rally organized in association with the Marxists should be protection to the tribes becoming victims of the flawed implementation of the scheduled area regulation 1/70.

But the focus of the rally was otherwise. It was more a demonstration of support for the small non-tribal farmers tilling lands-which are not legally theirs in the scheduled area villages. The rallyists wanted exemption for the non-tribal farmers with five (wet) to ten (dry) acres of land from the scheduled area norms.

The demand was indicative of the CPI (M)'s change in the stand and its effort to woo non-tribes. It was keen on dispelling the fears harbored by the non-tribal farmers about the party stand on the regulation 1/70. The CPI (M) is the only party which opposed the demand for amending the regulation which has put a blanket ban on the enjoyment of the tribal land by the non-tribes and paid a price for it.

The CPI (M) national council member and farmer M. P. Mr. Tammineni Veerabhadram said that there was a false propaganda about the CPI (M) stand on the regulation. "Certain forces created wrong impression that the party sought to drive the non-tribes away from the scheduled area". But it was not true. The party had been asking the Government to spare the small non-tribal farmers in the scheduled areas.

He said that the exemption for small non-tribal farmers was not a new demand. The party had not touched such farmers in the tribal agitation for land. Some people questioned as to why the exemption for the non-tribes with small holdings should not be incorporated in the law? Such an amendment would result in transforming the big holdings of the non-tribal farmers into small holding almost overnight, he said.

The CPI (M) leader reiterated the demand for setting up a tribal council at Bhadrachalam to safeguard the interests of the tribes in the State. He said that the party would organize Tribals injects- from srikakulam to Adilabad- so as to mount pressure on the Government for setting up the council. He wanted the collection charges of beedi leaf enhanced to Rs. 1.75 paise per bundle (of 100 leaves).

He said the distribution of land to the Tribals of Dammapet needed a further review. Though the Government had been claiming to have handed over Rs. 20 crores worth of land to the landless tribes in the area, the extent of land really distributed would be around 400 acres. The CPI (M) had made a study of the distribution so as to give a feedback to the administration.

Mr. Kunjam Bojji, Bhadrachalam MLA and State Convenor of he Atavi Pranta Girijana Sangam, made a scathing attack on the Government agencies involved in marketing minor forest produce. He said the Girijan Cooperatives had become profit - oriented and very little of the margins were being passed on to the tribes. He said that the Government failed to help the tribes on the land issue.

CM orders distribution of land of Sattupalli to Tribals

By Our Staff Reporter

The Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, has ordered distribution of 1,600 acres of land at Sattupalli in Khammam dist owned by the A.P. Forest Development Corporation to Tribals immediately after acquiring it from a private party which is enjoying it on the strengt6h of a lease deed.

Mr. Naidu was speaking to the Project Director and join Collectors at a teleconference here on Friday. The Sattupalli land figured when the project Director of Plawancha in Khammam district complained that the land was occupied by Tribals in the area. The Chief Minister who appeared irked at the attitude of the officials, asked him to distribute the land to the Girijans by canceling the lease, he could launch legal proceedings if the situation so warranted, Mr. Naidu said, insisting on distribution through Vana Smarakshan Samitis.