4 Girijans tonsured over land dispute

News Flash

Deccan Chronicle 18-11-1997

Velerupadu (Khammam), Nov. 17:

A land dispute between two groups has led to tonsuring of four Girijans at Medepalli in Velerupadu mandal.

Soyam Muthamma, a Girijan woman, purchased 18 kuntas of land in survey number 5 in the vil­lage and constructed a pucca house in it a few years ago. She has been residing in the house. She is running a fair price shop.

Madikam Veerabhadram, a Girijan leader of the same village, tried in vain to occupy the same land. Muthamma, in consultation with officials, erected a fence around her land on November 12.

Veerabhadram and his supporters raided the place and removed the fence.

Muthamma went to Kukkunur to lodge a complaint with the Velerupadu police. She kept her relatives, Soyam Kamiah, Soyam Pentaiah, Kunja Papa Rao and Kunja Nageswara Rao in her house on guard. The same night, Veerabhadram and his supporters raided the house again and man­handled Muthamma's relatives. They tonsured half of their victim's heads.

The victims lodged a complaint on November 13. Muthamma mar­ried a non-Girijan 15 years ago. Her husband and Veerabhadram were friends. They split recently.

16,000 acres of Girijans encroached

News flash.

Tuesday, June 17, 1997 .

Chandrugonda (Khammam) June 16:

The general secretary of State unit of All India Adivasi Girijan Sangham, Mr. G.D.V. Kumar, he said 16,000 acres of Girijans are illegally Occupied by non-Girijans in Khammam district. Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Kumar said non-Girijans were encroaching Girijan Land because the government was not implementing 1/70 Act. He accused the Central and State governments of not enforcing the laws meant for the Girijan Welfare. A few voluntary Organizations were rendering service to Girijans in education and medical fields.

He said courts came to the Girijans's rescue. They gave many judgments, directing the revenue Officials to evict encroachers Girijan lands. But the corrupt revenue officials had scant respect for court orders. They did not implement any court order on the Girijan lands.

The Chandrugonda pattas Girijan leader demanded pattas for 5,000 acres Thottipampu Girijans had been cultivating for the last 50 years.

The land became an issue between the Annapareddy temple and Girijans. The Girijans had been contending that the lands belonged to them according to Shetwari patta.

Landlords, wealthy farmers harassing poor Girijans

Deccan Chronicle, Oct 27, 1997.
Enkur (Khammam), Oct. 26 :

The Khammam district unit gener­al secretary of the Society for Rural Poor, Mr. P Muttaiah, in a statement, has alleged that land­lords and wealthy farmers were disallowing the Girijans to enter the lands in spite of the prevailing Girijan Act which favors the lat­ter in this regard.

Mr Mutthaiah said about 500 poor Girijans from 10 villages of Enkur mandal had been cultivating in nearly 2000 acres of forest lam where trees had vanished. They removed shrubs and bushes and made use of the land for cultiva­tion and the process was being practiced for the past 17 years. He said cultivation was being done in 80 acres of land at Raghavapuram and Lachchugudem villages of Enkur mandal under the supervi­sion of Society for Rural Poor.

Demanding sanction of pucca houses for the poor Girijans through the ITDC, Mr. Mutthaiah lamented that his sincere efforts for the past five years in achieving various facilities for the poor had failed to fructify. He had met the district Collector several times and given many petitions to the nodal officers during the Prajala Vaddaku Palana programme in vain.

Though the government released funds worth crores of rupees for the welfare of the poor, the gen­uine candidates were always deprived of the benefits, he regretted. (Newsflash).

Pro-tribal Sakti adds new fire

Indian Express, Nov 26, 1997

Khammam, Nov 25:

The district administration has been taking adequate precautionary measures to avoid any confrontation between the tribals and the non-tribals in the district following the entry of Sakti, a voluntary organization which has been fighting for the rights of Girijans.

As a first step, the administration has identified some problematic villages in the district. A survey will also be taken up to identify the encroachments in the district.

It is learnt that the district collector has decided to constitute an ad hoc committee with the revenue officials and the advocates as members to look into the disputes between the tribals and the non-tribals.

Recently, the volunteers of the organization extensively toured the Aswaraopet and Dammapet mandals and came to know that most of the lands of the tribals were being cultivated by the non-tribal farmers. They met Palvancha revenue divisional officer Suryakumari and submitted a memorandum urging her to take up a survey on the encroached lands.

Later, the RDO visited the areas and sent an integrated report to the Government. She reportedly explained in detail the activities of the Sakti in the tribal areas in her report.

The detention of Sakti organizer Sarada by the Aswaraopet police for a few hours when they had been returning after visiting Dammapet and Aswaraopet mandals has added fuel to the fire. Later, a large number of tribals in the two mandals went to the farmers and asked them to return their lands.

Meanwhile, the non-tribals are expressing serious concern over the activities of the SAKTI and apprehending that law and order may worsen in the agency areas in the coming days.