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Pleas of tribals fall on deaf ears
The demand for inclusion of all tribal villages in agency areas in the Telugu-speaking States, in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution has been getting louder in the past decade. Despite several assurances, the governments are yet to take a concrete step.
Srikakulam: The demand for inclusion of all tribal villages in agency areas in the Telugu-speaking States, in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution has been getting louder in the past decade. Despite several assurances, the governments are yet to take a concrete step.
A total of 805 villages in tribal areas in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Khammam, Warangal, Adilabad and Mahbubnagar districts in AP and Telangana are in non-scheduled area. The inclusion of these villages in the Fifth Schedule has been an unfulfilled election promise since 2004.
In Srikakulam, 379 villages in 20 mandals are to be included in Fifth Schedule, which provide some special protections to the tribals. A total of 1.67 lakh tribal people are living in these villages. In Seethampeta mandal, out of 24 panchayats, only 16 were included in the schedule.
In 2012, then UPA government had decided to include all tribal villages in the schedule and asked State government to send proposal for the same. In 2013, then Araku MP and Union Minister V Kishore Chandra Deo assured inclusion of these villages in the schedule but in vain.
“We are demanding inclusion of tribal villages in the schedule for effective implementation of tribal and forest laws,” said CPM State executive member Ch Tejeswara Rao.He along with district secretary B Krishna Murthy submitted a memorandum to the Governor on Monday at Seethampeta.
“Governments are dillydallying to exploit agency resources like wood, minerals and lands, which will not be possible, if these villages, are included in the Fifth Schedule,” they added. Echoing the same, S Mukhalingam member of Agency Status Achievement Committee said “Earlier, then government granted Kannedahara lands in Seethampeta mandal on lease for excavation of minerals; now efforts are on to get lease Bodikonda in Bhamini mandal for excavation of granite deposits. If these villages are included in the fifth schedule, non tribes cannot exploit the resources.”
