The Long Wait

Tehelka, 14th June, 2008
Twice displaced for development projects, Orissa’s Machkund Adivasis are yet to get the compensation due to them, reports BIBHUTI PATI

Displaced twice, that is the fate of Adivasis residing in 154 revenue villages of Panasput, Jodamba, Ralegada, Papermetla, Andrapalli and Badapoda gram panchayats in Orissa. These Machhkund Adivasis were firsT rehabilitated in the Chitrakonda area to make way fro the Machhkund project. They again lost their land to the Balimela dam project, the foundation stone for which was laid in 1964 by Jawaharlal Nehru. And till date basic amenities are a far cry in these cut-off areas.
Incidence of malaria and water-born diseases is quite high in these villages. There is little in terms of treatment with mobile health units visiting the area only once a month. Sharmila Mohanty, an anganwadi worker posted in Panasput is of little help with no anganwadi center.
“Death is the ultimate relief for anyone suffering from malaria”, said Gurudra Hantal of Papermetla, village. “Malnutrition cases too have come to the fore and even the minimum facilities elude Adivasis. This so called development in the undivided Koraput district has badly hit the local Adivasis. Even according to conservative estimates, the livelihood of around 1.5 lakh Adivasis of undivided Koraput and Kalahandi districts have destroyed. Sadly to say, in the past five decades, in the name of so called development a large chunk of forest land has been cleared up during construction of different industries, dam and hydel projects, like Indravati, Machhkund, Kolab, Balimela, NALCO and HAL etc. Thousands of Adivasis have been displaced, but they are yet to be properly rehabilitated,” told social worker Narendra Maharna of Sanskar.
Local MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati says, “The government is blindly changing laws in the name of controlling forest produces, but not in a single case the rights of Adivasis and jungle dwellers have been safeguarded. If the government hands over the remaining forest lands to the so called development process without considering the social-economical and environmental impacts on the people at large, it would lead to a devastating situation. These areas are home to around two-third of the total Adivasi population in the state. They will be affected if all the projects are implemented.”
The ST&SC development minister says, “No, this is not the real fact. We are always considering Adivasis help and protecting their livelihood. Our government’s rehabilitation policy is one of best in the world. If anybody has any complaint, he can write to my office. Within one month, I will take proper action.”
Infertile land and hilly terrain have forced the villagers to take up cultivation of turmeric, maize, ginger, cereals and pulses. Unfortunately, they do not get remunerative price for their products in absence of marketing and communication facilities. “We get a better deal for our products at the Rudakata market in Andhra Pradesh (AP),” said Radhika Dugal. Disappointed by the state government’s negligent attitude, many of them have decided to migrate to AP.
Lack of education, basic amenities like health, drinking water, communication and kerosene, these villagers are isolated from rest of the world. “We sacrifice our land, village and river but we are not getting electricity, without kerosene we have been living in dark,” said Karunakar Murmu. Although there is an Ashram High School run by the SC & ST Development Dept. in Panasput, lack of adequate staff, proper infrastructure and other facilities are the major hindrance in development of education in the region.
This is not the end of the sorrows. About half Adivasi people in the deep forests of Raighar, Umerkote and Jharigam blocks in the districts are leading a very pathetic life due to the indifference of the Government. The problems of these people are only increasing by the day.
They remain deprived of even one square meal a day; forget about malaria or influenza tablets and other institutional benefits. Raighar and Umerkote blocks are situated bordering the Naxal infected Bastar district of Chhattisgarh. Local people admitted that taking the continued negligence by government, occasional Naxal movements have come up in the bordering remote forest areas. The Adivasis are spread over 290 hamlet villages, inaccessible, situated mainly on hill-tops in the deep forests. After the communal clashes in 2001 these villages were surveyed. But as these are situated in the reserve forest areas these villages have not so far been recognised as revenue villages.
These Adivasi villagers were not being covered by any of the anti-poverty schemes. Their only fault is that they have been living in the forest and displaced areas. The Parliamentary Committee on ST&SC Welfare, which visited these areas in 1992 under the chairmanship Khagapati Pradhan, noted in its report that Adivasis, who have been living in the deep forests for years, should not be harassed and disturbed by the forest officials. And they should be permanently settled and provided with every benefit. But, although 18 years passed no changes in these villages,” says a local journalist Susanta Panda.
The ST&SC development minister of Orissa says, “We are in the process of surveying the villages. We have identified many villages and listed them as revenue villages. We have provided BPL cards. We are going to establish schools and health centers in many villages.”
The people living in the areas belong mostly to primitive Kondh and Gond tribes. They depend on shifting cultivation. Official figures show that these people have till now encroached 66,000 acres of forest land, and have been raising crops on it for a long time. Except this occupation, their families have no other source of income. The state government had made a policy decision to settle the lands situated in forest area in favour of Adivasis who have settled there prior to 1980. Besides there was also a decision to recognise some forest villages as revenue villages. But it did not materialise. The delay in settlement has further worsened their socio-economic condition, which may force them to join the Naxal camps.