MYSURU: There is anger in the hills over decades of neglect, and the lack of basic amenities like roads, power supply and piped drinking water. The Soliga tribals living in Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Hills in Yelandur taluk of Chamarajanagar district, disillusioned by the lack of development, have resorted to use the only weapon they possess: their vote.
They are putting up boards threatening to boycott the Lok Sabha elections. The tribals have put up a tent in their hadi, and launched a stir against the underdevelopment that has made their lives dark and difficult. They carry patients on homemade stretchers to the nearest asphalted road to reach an ambulance, and thereby hospital, and walk to nearby open wells or borewell pumps to meet their drinking water needs.
The three-day stir by 60 families brought more than 650 families on board as all nine tribal hadis, including Purani Podu, Hosapodu, Mudigadagadde Podu, Yarakanagadde Colony, Bangale Podu, Kalyan Podu, Kanneri Colony, Keredmaba Podu, Combegaddapodu, Nellikedaru Podu and other hamlets extended support and put up boycott posters.
“How long should our children live in darkness and walk on narrow forest paths,” asked Made Gowda, a tribal. He said this has hit children’s education and their mobility, and many walk for 5km to reach school. They blame forest and revenue officials for the pathetic conditions, and say that neither have elected representatives exhibited the political will to bring Soliga tribes to the mainstream. The three-day stir has drawn the attention of the authorities, and even visitors.
Though the tribals are into bee-keeping and collection of minor forest produce, the prevailing drought has hit their livelihood as they don’t get jobs in the hills. Bommaiah said tribals are not given employment under the National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme, forcing them to shift base to nearby towns to earn their bread and butter.
Lakshmi, a tribal woman, said the government should start high middle school in the Ashram school that admits students from Class 1 to 5. How can children continue with higher classes when there are no roads or vehicle facility, she asked.
Tribal leaders called off the stir after Assistant Commissioner Shivamurthy and other officials requested them, and promised to meet their demands within 45 days. They said the district administration is open to upgrading the school and getting power connections.