PANEL TO SETTLE LAND DISPUTES BETWEEN TRIBALS AND NON-TRIBALS

Express News Service

Indian Express, Nov 26, 1997

KAHMMAM, 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 Organisation 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 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.

The district administration has been closely monitoring the situation with almost caution as the neighbouring west Godavari district witnessed a series of violent incidents after the voluntary organisation started involving on behalf of the tribals there.

Recently, the volunteers of the organisation extensively toured the Aswaropet 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 Surya Kumari 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 he two mandals went to the farmers and asked them to return their lands.

The angry Tribals also tried to encroach the lands in Dammapet, Rachuripadu, Dibbagudem, peddaGollagudem, lachagudem, Guthapalem and Thallapudi villages and damaged a big coconut grove at Rajangaram in Aswaraopet mandal.

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

TRIBAL UP IN ARMS FOR LAND

By Our Staff Reporter

The Hindu, Nov 24, 1997

Aswaropet (Khammam dist), Nov, 23

Tribals have been organising themselves in a big way in a cluster of villages in the remote Aswaropet and Dammapet mandals of Khammam to stake claim for the lands under the illegal occupation of non-Tribals. They have started parading large groups from village to village besides claiming as their own the lush green orchards and tobacco farms, thus sounding an alarm to big farmers who have developed them over the years. Backed by a Rampachodavaram planning to take recourse to agitation methods also to mount pressure on the administration for restoration of their lands.

Centre stage of face off

Kesappagudem, a tiny hamlet, eight km from here, has become the centre stage of the tribal and non-tribal face off ever since the volunteers of Sakti, the Organisation that has spearheaded the tribal protests on the neighbouring jeelugumilli mandal (West Godavari), has taken up an exercise to identify the tribal lands under the occupation of different farmers.

The Tribals who have so far been eking out their living on bamboo-cutting and firewood collection have pinned their hopes now on the standing crops ready for harvest around the village. About ten acres of land has already been occupied by them in the village.

The organisation has for the past few weeks been thoroughly in touch with every family in the village an trying to motive them for the land struggle. The police, obviously as a precautionary measure, arrested 11 volunteers, including two women all from West and East Godavari districts, on Wednesday night and let them off immediately. The Tribals appeared to be annoyed by the police action. The Tribals armed with bows and arrows, were seen closely guarding the volunteers at survey work.

A majority of the tribal families have lost their lands to the landlords over a period of time because of the illegal occupation. Bethu Veeraswamy, a tribal farm worker, complained that the two acres of land assigned in favour of his wife in occupation of a non-tribal farmer, Bethu Seeramulu, another tribal farmer, is in possession of the pattas for the five acres of land assigned to him. But the revenue authorities, he alleged, were yet to show him where the land was. He had regularly been paying the revenue in hope of taking possession of the land one day or the other.

Similarly, another resident claimed to be owning 10 acres of land in survey no. 297/66. Though he has pattas in support of his claim, he has never been allowed to till the land by the land owner during the past 27 years. So was the case with Behtu Raulmma. She was allotted 1.75 acres of a land in the neighbouring Jammigudem village without being allowed to enjoy it. The case of Bethu Nageswar Rao is different from all others. He was assigned five acres of land and asked to develop it by clearing the jungle growth in it. He spent thousands of rupees on the land before he was asked to abandon it on the plea that it fell in forest limits.

'Landless are in better position'

The volunteers are of the view that the landless are in a better position than those having lands merely on paper. The landless families could at lest be considered for assignment of some land, the latter would not be eligible for it. Villagers are now ready to occupy more land unless they are meted out justice by the administration. Revenue officials have been frequenting the village as part of their effort to find out an amicable solution to the land issue.

In Rajanagaram village of Aswaraopet mandal, a group of Tribals had a field day in the 12-acre coconut plantation owned by a non-tribal farmer recently. Mistaking it as on occupied land, they wreaked vengeance and quenched their thirst plucking a few hundred coconuts. In vutalapalli and Aladivarimakam village the Tribals occupied a few acres of lands and marked the boundaries with palmyra twigs.

In Maddikonda village the Tribals took recourse to forcible methods to occupy lands. Tension prevailed in the village as the non-tribal farmers tried to defend and the revenue authorities rushed to the village to defuse tension.

Responding immediately to the situation, the Revenue Department has taken up the enjoyment survey to find out the extent of land under illegal occupation in Kesappagudem, Vedantapuram and Ramannagudem villages. Mandal revenue officials have said that over 3, 500 acres of land is available for distribution to the landless in the 19 scheduled area villages and 1 non-scheduled area villages in the mandal.

In Kesappagudem, a non-scheduled village, as much as 120 acres of land is in the occupation of different farmers in survey no 297. If the cases of illegal occupation are proved in the survey the land would be restored to legitimate owner immediately, they said.

In Dammapet mandal revenue officials have acted promptly and restored to the tribal farmers 42 acres of land which has for long been under the illegal occupation of non-tribal farmers. A cashew nut garden extending over 28 acres in lachapuram village was taken over from a non-tribal formerly the department. It would be given back to the Tribals.