BHUPALPALLY: A day after Gothi Koyas were evicted by forest and police officials using force at Jalagalancha area in Pasra forests, political parties and tribal organisation activists staged a rasta roko on NH 163 bringing the entire traffic on the route to a standstill. They also filed a complaint with the local police against the forest officials who forcefully evicted them. They demanded that the government should provide an ex gratia of ` 2 lakh and a permanent house to every evicted family.
The district administration deployed a huge contingent of police at the dharna venue and even tried to remove the protestors forcefully. Tension prevailed for sometime when the agitators had an argument with police perover calling off the agitation.
Despite the stir, district administration was firm that the Guthi Koyas would not be allowed to go back to the forest area. District Collector A Murali made it clear that the evicted families would not be allowed to stay in deep forest area and that they would be rehabilitated. “We want to bring them to the mainstream for development. We are trying in every possible way that they are being shown an alternative revenue land to stay. We are even making efforts to provide minimum facilities and employment to them in departmental work,” he said.
Earlier, Vice-Chairman of All India Adivasi Congress, Bellaiah Naik Tejavath, took strong exception to forest officials forcefully evicting Gothi Koyas and said that the forest department was violating rules and harassing tribals. Forest laws said that whoever is cultivating land, even in reserve forest, will hold ownership of the land, he said. Gothi Koyas are living in Jalagalancha for the last 21 years and cultivating land for survival. They also possess social security cards. “They belong here and have the right to live inside the forest,” Tejavath pointed out. All political party leaders criticised forest and police officials.