Visakhapatnam: Include non-schedule villages in schedule villages, demand tribals

Visakhapatnam: Demanding the inclusion of non-scheduled tribal villages in scheduled villages in Alluri Sitarama Raju district, tribals in several mandals in the district staged protests on Monday.

Members of AP Girijana Sangam Fifth Schedule Sadhana Committee took out a rally from MRO office to MPDO office, formed a human chain and rasta roko at four-road junction in Ravikamatham mandal. Later, they submitted a memorandum to the MRO. Similar protests were carried out in Devarapalli, Madugula and Rolugunta mandals.

Speaking on the occasion, AP Girijana Sangam Fifth Schedule Sadhana Committee district honorary president K Govinda Rao said in Visakhapatnam district about 90,000 tribals are residing on the hills in the Agency areas.

For the past 40 years, the ruling parties have been guaranteeing that non-scheduled tribal villages will be included in the scheduled areas but it's yet to be implemented, he pointed out.

Tribal community leaders said the tribal advisory committee had decided to merge non-scheduled tribal villages with the schedule areas. In connection with this, the revenue authorities conducted village meetings and submitted reports to the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA). Girijana Sangam leaders alleged that some MLAs were obstructing the implementation of the proposals.

Tribals demanded that District Collector A Mallikarjuna should intervene in the matter and submit the report on non-scheduled tribal villages to the State government with immediate effect.

Girijana Sangham leaders Gora Peddiraju, E Appala Naidu, Tribal Association State committee member P Chandrayya and a large number of tribals participated in the protests.