Hyderabad: Women and child welfare minister Danasari Anasuya alias Seethakka has assured that she would resolve the contentious forest lands (podu lands) issue between the Chenchus living in Macharam village of Amrabad mandal and the forest department.
On Monday, July 1, Seethakka came to meet the Chencus living inside the forest area, and those living in the buffer zone, to inaugurate a KGBV school and to participate in other developmental works in Amrabad and Mannanur mandals.
There were a group of around 30 women who had come from Macharam village, where there has been a logjam between the Chenchus and the forest officials om the ownership of land. This village falls inside the buffer zone of the Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR) in Nagarkurnool district.
‘Why grow crops? Hunt hamsters’
The Chenchu women told Siasat.com that they have been cultivating the lands for generations.
However, when a few years ago forest officials prevented them from tilling those lands. The Chenchus got agitated and poured petrol on forest officials. Police cases were booked against five villagers. A couple, among the accused, died by suicide allegedly due to legal pressure, according to the Chenchus.
“While the one above them asks us to go ahead and cultivate our lands, his underlings have been obstructing us from farming. The forest beat officer asks us to hunt hamsters for a living, questioning us why we need to grow crops,” said Sailamma, a resident of Macharam.
Another Chenchu woman named Alivelu told Siasat.com that for the past three years the Adivasis haven’t been able to cultivate anything in that land.
How do we survive, ask Chenchus
“Because they (forest officials) have asked us to continue tilling, we have been doing so. However, after the forest officials working on the ground raised objections, we stopped tilling. How can they expect us to live without any livelihood? There are no forest products to collect and hunting certain animals has been banned. That is the kind of life we have been living for the past four years,” said Alivelu.
As the women, youth, teachers and intellectuals represented their issues to Seethakka, the latter assured them that soon a solution will be found.
There are around 70-80 Chenchu families living in Macharam cultivating those forest lands. According to the Chenchus, there are around 80 acres of land that have been under the possession of Chenchus.
“During the reign of former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, we were assured pattas for our lands. But even after 23 years, we have been devoid of pattas, the ownership and tilling righs there. If we are not allowed to perform agriculture in our lands we will have no other option but to end our lives by hanging ourselves to death,” warned Alivelu.
Seethakka assures resolution
Seethakka, who addressed the women Chenchus, assured that their forest lands issue would be resolved soon, after arrivimg at a consensus between the forest officialls and the Chenchus.
“We will speak with the district forest officer and the Chenchus to find a common ground. Those who have been cultivating their lands for long shouldn’t be troubled. Those who have recently occupued the lands shouldn’t be allowed to till them,” Seethakka declared.
“The world’s most primitive Chenchu community has been living in these forests for ages. They have been dwelling here for as long as these forests have existed, and even before the laws that have been preventing them from cultivating those lands,” she observed.
She also said that she, along with Achampet MLA Dr Vamsi Krishna would discuss the issue with the district forest officer, who is also the in-charge ITDA project manager.
Promises advance MGNREGS wages
She also promised advance wage payments under Mahatma Gandhi national rural employment guarantee scheme (MGNREGS) by 15 days to the farm workers, in addition to opening the already shut-down schools and creating better health and education infrastructure.
“We have seen in Adilabad and Asifabad recently, that when the district forest officer, district collector and ITDA POs work together, such issues can be resolved,” she pointed out, also promising a full-time ITDA project officer for Mannanur ITDA soon.
“The forest officials have the duty of protecting the forest lands, and we have the responsibility of protecting our lands. This is where the problem has been arising. We need to resolve the issues harmoniously without any conflict. Not with anger, but think with wisdom,” she suggested the Chenchus.
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