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Ban on hunting likely to affect the traditional ‘Chaitra’ fete

KORAPUT: ‘Chaitra Festival’ of the tribals of Koraput district is facing the first ever challenge from the district administration. The forest officials in the district have asked the people not to venture into forests for hunting purpose and this prohibition has created ripples among the tribal communities of the region.

Demanding withdrawal of the ban order on hunting during Chaitra festival, thousands of natives from different parts of Koraput district came out on the roads in the district headquarter with their traditional arms and materials used for hunting and took out a rally before handing over a memorandum to Padmanav Sethi, the ADM of Koraput on Friday.

The members of Adivasi Sanskruti Surakhya Manch , a forum of the inhabitant tribals of the region in the memorandum addressed to the Governor of Orissa have demanded for issuing guidelines to the district administration not to interfere in the matters affecting the cultural heritage and traditional practices of the tribal communities.

Hunting has been a part of the rituals during Chaitra festival, which one of the major festival of triabls for generations and any attempt to break it would not be tolerated by the people, the forum warned .

While highlighting the importance of the festival in the lives of the tribal communities, the forum has further demanded to give 15 days vacation like other festivals in the region so as to celebrate the hunting festival with traditional togetherness.

Taraprasad Bahinipati, the MLA of Koraput has warned to stall the celebration of ‘Parab’, the district’s official festival in November.

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