Rising social discord helps Maoists

History is repeating itself as far as Maoist movement in north Telangana is concerned.

Land related disputes, discrimination with villagers based on caste and class, villagers forming groups to take revenge against each other are leading to them siding either side of police or Maoists.

The same socio, economic and political conditions prevailed in the villages when Naxals gained foothold in the villages 20 years ago. 

Maoists are taking advantage of prevailing differences between villagers, the gap between rich and poor that has widened in the last 20 years and suppression on down trodden especially Dalits by the local land lords to get foothold in villages in the north Telangana.

The unrest among Adivasis caused by various government policies which alienating them from their ‘Jal, Jungle and Jameen’ apparently forcing some of them to tilt towards Maoists to protect their rights.

The recent non- tribals’ agitation backed by the businessmen and realtors demanding the relaxation in A.P Scheduled Areas Land Transfer Regulation 1 of 1970 (Prohibition of Tribal Land Transfer Act which was popularly known as 1/70Act) which was a safe guard for Adivasis’ rights in Agency areas also created unrest among the Adivasis in the Adilabad district.

Imposing restrictions on Adivasis’s movements and their natural habitats in the name of tiger zones, opencast mines in Adivasi areas, displacing them on large scale from their gudems, growing dominance of the plain area Lambada Tribals and cornering all the benefits meant for the Tribals by Lambadas and planting trees under ‘Haritha Haram’ in lands being cultivated for long time by the Adivasis without conducting joint surveys by the revenue and forest departments are also causing unrest.

The unrest among the Adivasis is quite clear and they have manifested it many times through their agitations which are on the rise in the Telangana. Maoists are reentering into villages by taking up the local social issues and settling the issues in Praja Courts (Kangaroo Courts) and threatening the local land lords and suspected police informers.

The above issues had not surfaced during the Telangana agitation though they had been simmering.The issues had not been addressed by the intellectuals of the Telangana who led the agitation to keep the people united to first achieve separate Telangana state.

This situation is indirectly giving scope for Maoist to regain foothold in the villages in the Adilabad district. Some villagers have become sympathizers of Maoists to take revenge against their rival group.

There are differences among the villagers on the land and it creates two groups in the Patha Ellapur village in Khanapur mandal in the Adilabad. One group is pasted wall posters in the name of Maoists threatening the other group and to take revenge. Police arrested some of them and sent them to judicial custody few weeks ago.

Top Naxalites of that time had attacked the house of powerful landlord and Congress leader G V Pitamber Rao in Tapalpur village in Jannaram mandal which resulted in his death and also death of his two sons in subsequent attack in Nov, 1976.

Adivasis of the interior areas are in the grip of fear in Khanapur mandal in the district following the exchange of fire reportedly that took place between police and Maoists near Shetpalli forest area under Pembi police station limits in Khanapur mandal on November 18.

Tense situation is being prevailed in the Tribal areas since Maoists killed Adivasi youth Kursinge Ballal Shah, 25, of Kheriguda of Tiryani mandal accusing him of being police informer on October 30.

Bellampalli police produced the surrendered Naxaltie Chunchula Bakkanna,38, who reportedly recently rejoined the Maoists, before the Media on November 22 and announced that Bakkanna he was accused in the killing of Ballal Sha. Police took Chunchu Bakkanna into their custody who reportedly injured in exchange of fire between police and Maoists in Shetpalli in Khanapur mandal in the Adilabad.

SP Dr. Tarun Joshi said ‘there was no need for them to kill Maoists in fake encounters and showing the arrest of the Bakkanna was best example for this and alleged that some organizations making propaganda of fake encounters against police without waiting for facts.

Kupti project may turn another mini- Polavaram

The proposed Kupti project site in  Neredigonda mandal. 

The proposed Kupti medium irrigation project in Adilabad by the state government may turn into mini- Polavaram project which submerged more than 2,000 acres fertile lands and majority of them belongs to Adivasis, Dalits and backward communities of four villages in the area.

People of the four villages will not get any benefit from the project and will lose their lands like Adivasis in Polavaram project.  

Kupti medium irrigation project, probably as balancing reservoir, was planned near Kupti ghat on the Kadam vagu. The same water will flow into the Kadam irrigation project and also Kuntala waterfall.

The Kupti project is to be constructed between two hills so that the rain water falls into the huge catchment area where nearly seven streams from bordering Maharashtra flow into Kadam and Boath streams which merge near Kupti and flows downwards.

Kumari is the grampanchayat comprising 480 families and 2,200 population. Gajili and Gandhari villages are tribal villages where nearly 200 Adivasis families living from time immemorial.

Preliminary survey for the Kupti project was conducted three years ago and now the state government has called for tender for survey. Mode village in Bajarhatnoor will also get affected with the backwaters if project is constructed.

Kumari MPTC Atram Laxman of Gandhari village said, ‘he came to know that his Gandhari village was not shown in the list of submerged villages but the fact remains different’.

Kumari grampanchayat has sufficient ground water which enables the farmers to cultivate commercial also traditional crops like cotton, soya, turmeric, maize and pulses and even vegetables.

Farmers of grampanchayat have been getting good yields for a few years. The area is close to NH-44 and land values were high in the open market compared to other lands in the area.

Kupti project will also affect the habitat of the many forest animals in the forests located in and around the Kupti ghats.

Adepu Hanumaiah of Kumari village worried over losing their fertile and much valuable land under the proposed project and said the proposed project will not benefit the farmers of the four villages except losing their lands.

There were strong allegations that some local top political leaders have started purchasing lands in the area in the benami names in view of the Kupti project for some time and lobbied for the project get clearance from the state government with the help of a top official of the Adilabad working in the irrigation department at Hyderabad.

Gaddam Bheemreddy of Kumari said it was very difficult for them to settle down after losing their valuable lands under project if they do not get right compensation to their lands and good rehabilitation package.

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