Lost 038; Found

FOR Pochu Lingu Sidam, life has begun at 70. After spending nearly twenty-five years out of his native village, he is back to reclaim the la...

FOR Pochu Lingu Sidam, life has begun at 70. After spending nearly twenty-five years out of his native village, he is back to reclaim the land that was taken away by non-tribal migrants.

Thirteen other families are camping with Pochu in a makeshift shelter on the village border. They all are waiting for the land to be measured and handed back to them.

The Kolam tribal families are among the hundreds in this hilly terrain bordering Andhra Pradesh who have endured exploitation by non-tribals. Until Shramik Elgar, an non-governmental organisation, stepped in and on December 21, Chandrapur Collector Sanjeev Jaiswal handed over reclamation papers to the fourteen families.

Over 267 evicted tribals have united under the leadership of Elgar8217;s Paromita Goswami, and 188 have independently approached the government to reclaim their lands.

The story of alienation began with the migration that followed the great drought in Marathwada in the early 8217;70s. Many refugees came to Manikgarh hills, the traditional home of Kolam and Gond tribals. Soon, non-tribals began taking over their agricultural lands.

The stranglehold got stronger with time. The tribals were beaten up, their houses burnt and they finally fled. The eviction continued until as late as two years ago, when the Kolam guda locality of Nandappa village was uprooted.

8216;8216;We ran to places like Nagargutta, Khirdi, Savati in the neighbouring Adilabad district, where we survived by doing petty labour,8217;8217; says Pochu. Some tribals were so frightened that they haven8217;t returned.

Two years ago the tribals finally had the government order going their way. 8216;8216;But the Patwaris refused to act on it,8217;8217; says Faggu Sidam.

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IN June last, Goswami took up issue with the authorities. The tribals came together and an agitation was launched. Politicians sensed an opportunity8212;the BJP and Shiv Sena espoused the non-tribals8217; cause. Tempers ran high and Goswami was fortunate to escape a planned attack. Those who dared to go to their usurped lands faced fresh assaults.

But gradually the non-tribals are realising that the reversal in fortune is inevitable. 8216;8216;We know it8217;s illegal to take tribal land and we8217;ll have to relinquish it but it8217;s not true that we chased them out,8217;8217; says Kanbarao Hodbe, whose father has to return four of the five acres he had taken from a tribal.

But there are still a few more hurdles for the tribals. 8216;8216;The land on the entire Manikgarh hills is yet to be measured before the actual return of the lands becomes possible. So far, the process hasn8217;t begun,8217;8217; says Goswami.

8216;8216;Moreover, the Tribal Development Department has been doing precious little for the tribals8217; rehabilitation,8217;8217; she adds.

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Additional Tribal Development Commissioner Abha Shukla, however, says the department has already sanctioned Rs 10,000 for every beneficiary. 8216;8216;Many personal and community benefit schemes have been okayed and few more are on the anvil from the nucleus budget,8217;8217; she adds.