The Hindu : Gouri's stand puts Govt. in a fix

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 22, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

Gouri's stand puts Govt. in a fix

By G. Prabhakaran

PALAKKAD MAY 21. Tribals who have occupied a portion of the Orange Farm in Nelliampathy are shocked at the `unsympathetic attitude' of the Agriculture Minister, K.R. Gouri, towards an official proposal to earmark one acre each to the occupying families.

The agitating tribal families, numbering 156, and the political parties backing them have vowed to resist all moves to evict them from the land they have occupied since January this year.

Meanwhile, the delay in solving the land issue has resulted in more encroachments. A group of 50 tribals have occupied a 25-acre plot of the farm allotted to the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation for setting up a Yathri Nivas in the Nelliampathy Hills.

Ms. Gouri had told a `Meet-the-Press' programme of the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club on Wednesday that the Agriculture Department wants to set up a modern horticulture garden in the land now occupied by the tribals.

The tribals are pained at the stand of the Minister who boasts of her spirited opposition to the `anti-tribal land Bill' brought by the previous LDF Government.

The District Collector had earmarked an area of 325 acres in the Orange Farm for the tribals and sent the proposal to the Government last year.

Infrastructure facilities like road, water, power, school, medical facilities, etc., were also proposed in the land.

Besides, official circles, quite recently, proposed that one acre of land be given to each tribal family. An area of 150 acres from the earmarked 325 acres was identified by the officials for this purpose. The agitating tribals were more or less agreeable to the proposal.

The CPI(M) district secretary, P. Unni, says that his party will support the tribals and will resist any move to evict them.

Meanwhile, the tribals and some of their supporters have urged the Government to distribute the entire Orange Farm to the landless tribals since there is no other land available with the Government in the Nelliampathy forest area.

The former Director of the Kerala Institute for Research Training and Development Studies (Kirtads) and chairman of the International Commission on Urgent Anthropolog Research, South Indian Regional Centre, P.R.G. Mathur, said that since the Orange Farm comes directly under the State Government and is not covered by any forest law, the entire area should be used for settling the landless tribals in the Nelliampathy and Parambikulam forests. There are nearly 1,000 landless tribal families mainly of the primitive Kadar and Mala Marazer tribal groups.

He said the Government is planning to buy the Aralam farm in Kannur from the Central Government at a price of Rs.40 crores for distribution among the tribals. The Orange Farm has 800 acres of land, but cultivation is done only in 200 acres. The farm is learnt to be running at a loss of Rs.50 lakhs a year. So there is no point in running a farm which is a drain on the State exchequer.

Political observers feel that the sudden change of attitude of the Agriculture Department on the tribal land issue in Nelliampathy has put the Government in a spot and the issue is now fraught with dangerous consequences.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

Stories in this Section

Dist. panels to study need for more schools

Strike total in State, normal life disrupted

TC compulsory for school admission

Hand over mosque to Wakf Board: Ravi

New Resident Commissioner

Rajiv Gandhi remembered

`Female foeticide rife in Malappuram, Kozhikode'

Redeployment: officials told to report to designated authority

HC extends deadline for fixing fee structure

May 31 to be observed as `Marad Day'

Hindu meet demand opposed

Gouri's stand puts Govt. in a fix