Visakhapatnam: Adivasis demand to include villages in Scheduled area

Visakhapatnam: Adivasis took out a rally at V Madugula in Visakhapatnam district on Wednesday demanding that their villages to be included in the Scheduled area. The rally was organised by the All India Agricultural and Rural Labour Association (AIARLA) and the CPI ML (Liberation) party.

Addressing the gathering, Human Rights Forum AP and Telangana coordination committee member VS Krishna explained how the Fifth Schedule dispensation is of a unique and exceptional nature endowed with explicit constitutional recognition.

Of these 805 villages, there are 553 in Andhra Pradesh. This includes 91 of them in Visakhapatnam district that are located in the mandals of Ananthagiri, Devarapalli, Cheedikada, V Madugula, Ravikamatham, Rolugunta, Golugonda and Nathavaram. Krishna said as a consequence of this neglect, caused because of political opportunism and bureaucratic apathy, Adivasis in these villages were deprived of constitutional guarantees and protective legislation. They were unable to access developmental programmes and welfare measures meant for Adivasis resident in the Scheduled areas, he pointed out.

AIARLA (All India Agricultural and Rural Labour Association) national secretary PS Ajay Kumar said the State government had directed all ITDAs to focus on Non-Scheduled Adivasis and to forward requisite proposals after conducting Grama Sabhas. However, ruling party legislators were obstructing this, he alleged. Consequently, except for villages in Ananthagiri mandal, all others in the remaining mandals were excluded from the list. The stated intention of the government was to render justice to the Adivasis, but MLAs of V Madugula, Chodavaram and Narsipatnam were obstructing these efforts, he added.

Secretary of the Joint Action Committee of Adivasi Unions and Federations Ramarao Dora emphasised the need to resolve the land question and to protect land rights of the Adivasis. Because of non-implementation of statutory rights for Adivasis, their resources in the Non-Scheduled areas were being plundered. GO 20 had compounded injustice done to Adivasis and this has to be immediately looked into, he added.

A large number of activists of the Fifth Schedule Sadhana Samithi as well as Adivasis from the Non-Scheduled villages participated in the rally. Memoranda were submitted to the ITDA PO and the Tahsildar calling for issuance of pattas for surplus ceiling land being cultivated by Adivasis since 30 years in Jalampalli panchayat of V Madugula mandal.