YELLANDU: Accusing the State government of taking away lands belonging to Adivasis, the TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy said almost all the promises made to the STs by the ruling TRS had remained unfulfilled. "Before coming to power, the TRS had promised to give 3-acre land to each ST family, besides providing employment and establishment of Tribal University and conversion of Tandas into Gram Panchayats. But none of these promises have been fulfilled," he attacked.
Addressing a public meeting at Singareni Grounds in Yellandu on Monday night as part of Congress Party's Praja Chaithanya bus yatra, the TPCC chief reminded that the TRS had promised to give three acres of cultivable land to tribal people. "As per the Forest Rights Act, STs are entitled to get 10 acres of the land for cultivation and other purposes. Instead of providing land to the tribals, the Sate government has been harassing the Grijans by filing cases on those who are continuing their cultivation activities on forest lands in the name of Haritha Haram and regularisation of lands," he alleged.
Uttam claimed that over 50,000 ST families were affected due to this move. He said a committee, led by former Union Minister Balram Naik, had been constituted to look into the issue. He said Congress president Rahul Gandhi had also given an assurance that the party would support the STs in getting their rights over their lands.
The TPCC chief said the State government had cheated the Singareni workers on the issue of Dependent Jobs. He promised that the Congress Party, after coming to power in next elections, would resolve the Dependent Jobs issue and regularise over 20,000 contract workers.