Kerala - Kalpetta   

Tribal people leave rehabilitation project

— Photo: E.M. Manoj

No occupants: The houses constructed under the Karapuzha tribal rehabilitation project.

KALPETTA: Tribal people who were rehabilitated at Malayachomkolly, near Mepadi, under the Karapuzha tribal rehabilitation project have begun deserting the area in large numbers owing to lack of basic amenities.

The Karapuzha tribal rehabilitation project was launched in 2001 to rehabilitate 84 tribal families out of the 218 evicted, including MullaKuruma, Paniya, and Kattunayakka and Oorali tribes, from the reservoir areas of the Karapuzha Irrigation Project. Forty-two blocks of houses were built to rehabilitate them on two adjacent hills, Koyilan hill and Pulpadi hill at Malayachomkolly, a remote area nearly 8 km away from Ambalavayal and Mepadi, the nearest towns. Of the 84 rehabilitated families, 68 have left the project area owing to lack of amenities, said A. Anandan, an inhabitant of the colony. Though the government spent crores of rupees on the project, no basic amenities were provided, said N.K. Babu, convener, Karapuzha Adivasi Bhoo Samrakshana Samithi (KABSS).

The government initially planned to accommodate four families in each block. One block consisted of four small rooms and four rooms for kitchens and verandas. The former Water Resource Minister T.M. Jacob who inaugurated the project on January 1, 2001 had directed the authorities concerned to accommodate two families in each block instead of four, N. Vellan, secretary, KABSS, told The Hindu on Wednesday. “When we were evicted from our land during 1978-82, the Revenue authorities held forth various promises, including compensation for the planted crops on our land, land equivalent to the acquired land, houses with all modern facilities and basic facilities such as school, cooperative store, road facilities, playground and health facilities under the project. Though our parents or grandparents received nominal remuneration for the acquired land decades back , the authorities have not kept their other promises, he added.

N.K. Ramanathan, Board member, Ambalavayal grama panchayat, said the authorities had not taken any steps to address the concerns of the inhabitants in the project area.

The roofs of many houses in the rehabilitation project area have developed cracks owing to bad construction, said Anandan of Attuvayi. The people living here have to travel kilometres daily in search of jobs owing to the lack of job opportunities in the adjacent areas of the rehabilitation project, he added.

There is no firewood, drinking water or educational and medical facilities. We have to travel kilometres to even purchase ration that is allotted to the tribes at a subsided price,” he said.

Though the government had allotted 75 cents of barren land to each family, it did not provide any financial assistance to plant crops, he added.

Most of the tribal families have rented out their land to farmers. The remaining inhabitants are using the abandoned houses as cowsheds.

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Tribal people leave rehabilitation project

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