NHRC notice to State, Centre

By Our Staff Reporter

ELURU, MAY 20. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the State and Central Governments asking them to present a report on the delay in recognising Nayaks and Telaga Pamula communities in Andhra Pradesh as Scheduled Tribes.

Passing an order on the petition filed by social activist, Dr. P. Pulla Rao, on behalf of the two communities, the NHRC gave 15 days' time to the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh and the Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, for response.

In his petition, Dr. Pulla Rao, contended that Nayaks had a large population in West Godavari and Khammam districts. The Nayaks of Khammam district were classified as scheduled tribes and enjoyed all the statutory and constitutional benefits while the same status was denied to Nayaks of neighbouring West Godavari district.

In the case of Telaga Pamula, Dr. Pulla Rao pleaded before the NHRC that the community was none other than the Yerukalas of scheduled tribes. About 3,000 people of Telaga Pamula, which lived on the railway land in Akiveedu, were being referred so by the local people. In fact, Telaga Pamulas intermarried with Yerukalas. He said a section of Yerukalas, a former criminal tribe, migrated to some other areas to escape constant harassment and named themselves Telaga Pamulas.

On the directions of the Government of India, the Anthropological Survey of India conducted a study on Telaga Pamulas in 1999 and established the similarities between the two groups.

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