Tribal organisations begin 48-hour satyagraha at Aralam farm

A 48-hour satyagraha by tribal organizations demanding protection of life and property of families living in Aralam farm tribal rehabilitation area began near Keezhpally Kakkavu bridge on Wednesday.

Aralam grama panchayat president V. Shobha inaugurated the protest demanding that the Tribal Resettlement and Development Mission (TRDM) take immediate action to address the security concerns long faced by the residents of the rehabilitation settlement.

Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha convenor M. Geethanandan presided. Adivasi Dalit Munneta Samiti president Sreeraman Koyyon spoke.

Opening the protest, Ms. Shobha said it was discriminatory that even after two decades since the tribal rehabilitation program was launched at Aralam farm, adequate protection was not provided to the life and property of tribal families.

Protesters claimed that 16 people had been killed in wild elephant attacks in the resettlement area in the past two decades and accused the district administration of evading responsibility for the deaths. Despite repeated mistakes, no action was taken against officials, they said.

Mr. Koyyon alleged that in the last 10 years, the State government has prioritized canceling title deeds of lands abandoned by tribal families fleeing the area due to repeated wild elephant attacks and granting titles to encroachers, instead of implementing welfare measures for the tribal community.

He also claimed that the electric fences, which worked effectively in the first phase of the rehabilitation program, were later dismantled with the knowledge of the district administration.

According to the protesters, though the government had sanctioned ₹58 crore to build elephant-proof walls, work on the project was progressing at a slow pace with only a small number of workers being deployed for the purpose.

The protesters made various demands, including permanent employment for the deceased’s dependents, monthly financial assistance until employment is achieved, government support for children’s education, appointment of additional workers to expedite the construction of the elephant-proof wall, transfer of control of the electric fence installed by the Non-Conventional Energy and Rural Technology Agency to TRDM, allocation of TRDM funds for clearing forest areas around the settlement, and strengthening of the rapid response team system to remove wild elephants.

Although many of these demands were accepted in principle, the organizations claimed that no concrete action had taken place leading to the initiation of satyagraha.

They warned that if the assurances given by the authorities are not fulfilled, they will apply to the court to initiate legal action regarding the deaths and will intensify their agitation with a long-term strike.