KORAPUT: Alleging that the State government is sacrificing interests of the tribals by allowing corporate houses for bauxite mining in the Maliparbat range under Semiliguda block in Koraput district, members of the Koraputia Jana Surakhya Manch (KJSM) have threatened they would not allow it at any cost. They have demanded protection of the tribal heritage of Kutinikhal caves situated in the range.
Speaking to mediapersons at Nishanimunda in Koraput, KJSM president Dasi Nandibali said, every year, tribal and non-tribal people from the region across undivided Koraput come together to worship Ma Pakuli Devi in the caves.
Besides, Chaiti festival is also celebrated there. The tribals believe worshipping the deity there would endow them with good harvest. “Though the place is worth visiting, there is no connectivity to the cave. It is certainly a monument of tribal heritage and needs to be developed,” he said. However, this year, police allegedly restricted the tribals from joining the festival held recently.The mining company, Nandibali said, has creating fraction among the tribals and it is not a good sign of democracy.