PALAKKAD: The alienation of land and the government machinery’s failure to provide alternate land to the adivasis of Attappadi even under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) has only led to further marginalisation of these sections. The ghastly incident in which Madhu was fatally assaulted by a group of persons goes to show how vulnerable the 33,000-odd Adivasis of 192 ‘oorus’(tribal hamlet) of Attappadi are in the hands of the mainstream population.
“Last year around 315 acres of land were provided to the landless Adivasis. This was part of the 480 acres of land identified in the first phase in the three panchayats of Attappadi,” said K A Ramu, convener of ‘Thampu’, a collective working for the tribals in Attappadi.
More than 3,000 applications were received from landless Adivasis of which 1,000 were found to be genuine.
“We have completed the survey, identified the land and location for the distribution of land in the second phase which follows the Supreme Court directive to allot forest land to the tribals. We have identified 1,000 acres of land in Attappadi and it will be given depending on how much land they have lost,” said Geromic George, Ottappalam Sub-Collector in charge of Attappadi.
Earlier efforts
Two attempts, one by the then LDF Government of E K Nayanar after amending the 1975 tribal law in July 1999 and the other by the Oomen Chandy -led UDF Government in September 2011, saw the government issuing title deeds. But the lands provided were unfit for human habitation and hence was not occupied, said Ramu.
The LDF Government allotted title deeds for 0.4 ha land each to 400 landless tribals in places like Moolagangal and Adhwanapetty in Attappady. Since the region was prone to attacks from wild elephants and did not have potable water, the Adivasis failed to inhabit the land.Subsequently, the land was given to the Chengara tribals in 2010 and they too did not occupy it. In September 2011, around 10 tribal families in Vattulakki received title deeds for 0.4 ha each at a ‘pattaya mela’ organised for the landless by the then UDF Government at Palakkad. But as the lands were located in Thenkara near Mannarkad located far from Attappadi it was also not occupied.
Forest Rights Act
“The main issue with regard to the distribution of land to the Adivasis under the Forest Rights Act was the resistance from the Forest Department. Finally, under the directions of Chief Secretary Paul Antony a meeting is to be convened at the Forest Department headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday to sort the issue out,” said Cherian, District Tribal officer.
Even a year on since receiving the applications , the process to hand over land to the tribals of Attappadi under the Forest Rights Act remains on paper.The Revenue and Forest Departments’ joint verification of the lands under the possession of tribals is yet to take place. The joint verification of only 640 of the 2,167 claims has been completed, said ITDP officials.