COIMBATORE: For generations, the forest has been home to these 15 tribal families residing near Kadamparai, in Valparai inside the Anamalai Tiger Reserve. In 2010, after landslides in the region, they shifted their settlement to a nearby site to avoid losing homes to a similar disaster. This 1km move has rendered them ‘encroachers’ according to the Forest Rights Act of 2006, and therefore, ineligible for an electricity connection.
Kesavan from the community, speaking to Express, said most of the residents work as coolies, while a few families cultivate pepper and ginger. “Solar lights arranged by the Forest Department function only for a few months. Without electricity, we have been suffering for a decade, living off kerosene lamps,” he said.
Children are the worst-affected. “There are 10 school-going children here. It is difficult for them to study with the dim light from kerosene lamps. Moreover, kerosene price has shot up and we get only a few litres from ration shops,” he added.
Givers of land, are now encroachers, ask activists?
Houses located in reserve forests need to get a clearance from the forest department to get electricity connections.
When contacted, a senior official from the department said, “Out of five settlements in the Valparai forest range, we have issued house patta and power supply, through Tangedco, to the families living in Vellimudi, Nedukundru, and Keel Poonatchi. We cannot provide the same facilities to people living in Kavarkal and Kadamparai going by the Forest Rights Act of 2006. Currently, they are being considered as encroachers as the Act allows issuing of patta and other rights only to those who had lived there before 2006. In this case, the families occupied the area only in 2010.”
What has irked families is the preparatory works being done to set up a connection to the Anti Poaching Watchers’ building nearby, by passing through their settlement.
“Forefathers of the tribals at Kadamparai helped the then government by providing their land for the construction of the Kadamparai dam, besides working to build it. However, they neither have proper houses nor power supply now, and have to fights for their basic rights,” said S Thanaraj, a tribal activist and State co-ordinator of the Ekta Parishad.