Raw deal for tribals in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand

`Raw deal for tribals in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand'

by The Hindu

20th February 2006

Alienating large tracts of tribal land without consulting the tribals, in the name of development, was a clear violation of the rights vested in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, said Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat.

Issue discussed

The Ministry of Environment was clearing a number of projects without protecting the basic rights of tribals, which would be raised in Parliament, she told reporters here on Sunday. She said that the issue was discussed at the party Tribal Committee in New Delhi on Saturday. She was here to participate in the CPI(M) Guntur unit's padayatra to prepare a comprehensive district development plan.

"In Jharkhand, the State Government has entered into 42 memoranda of understanding to alienate large extents of land for setting up even private projects," she said. "The Tatas have even a clause in the MoU, which does not permit the Government to give out details of the land alienation, thus fully annulling the basic motive of the Information Act," Ms. Karat said.

Raw deal

Tribals were being given a raw deal in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, she said. Referring to the Polavaram irrigation project as disastrous, she said that 3,728 hectares of prime forestland would get submerged, but environment clearance was given in just two days. She took exception to the State and Centre not considering alternative plans submitted by the CPI (M) for Polavaram to reduce flooding by constructing three dams.