KANNUR: Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha (AGM) will begin an agitation against eviction of Adivasis from the Aralam farm with a `yatra' to be led by its president C.K. Janu beginning from here on May 7 and concluding in Kochi on May 17. Announcing this at a press conference here on Thursday, Ms. Janu and M. Geethanandan, who is general secretary of the Rashtriya Mahasabha, AGMs political wing, said the agitation would highlight the demands that the entire 7,500 acres farm be used for Adivasi rehabilitation and that the Government accelerate developmental activities as per the Adivasi agreement.

Parliament march

The AGM had staged a Parliament march on February 20 last demanding halt to the moves to hand over half of the farmland, purchased by the Government using tribal fund, to a company, they said. A representation in this regard had been submitted to the National Scheduled Tribes Commission, the Union Minister concerned, the Planning Commission and the Prime Minister, they said. Ms. Janu and Mr. Geethanandan alleged that the Government was planning to evict 700-odd Adivasis who had been occupying the farmland in a bid to hand over part of it to the company.

The final list of Adivasis eligible for assignment of one-acre land each in the farm excluded those who owned more than five cents of land and those who had inherited land exceeding five cents of land. With this decision, nearly 700 Adivasis would be evicted from the farmland.

Application submitted

Though nearly 8,000 Adivasis from Kannur and Wayanad districts had submitted application for land assignment in the farm, the rehabilitation was now confined to half of the farmland (2,500 plots). Even as many eligible Adivasi families were facing eviction, nearly 300 Adivasis who were not eligible were included in the list prepared by the authorities, they said.

The leaders said that 800-odd Adivasi families who had been assigned land in the farm in March 2006 were yet to be provided basic facilities. Funds for house construction to them had not yet been released and the Government's assurance to start a school bus for Adivasi children in the farm was still to be implemented.

Demands

The other demands that would be highlighted during the `yatra' were ending of `discrimination' towards Adivasis in Wayanad, implementation of the Central enactment protecting the rights of forest dwelling Adivasis, inclusion of Adivasi areas under Fifth Schedule, withdrawal of cases registered in connection with Muthanga incidents and comprehensive land reforms in the State.

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