Polo to be developed at Jodeghat

An Adivasi horse rider performing a show  

The plateau on the hills around the historical Jodeghat in Asifabad district will be developed as a ground for Polo game which was a popular game playing with a ball and stick while riding a horse in ordered to develop the area as best tourist place to attract the tourists from across the world.

Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation Chairman Pervaram Ramulu said the series of beautiful hills with huge plateau area is much suitable for Polo game and Adivasis used to ride horses in the past as a warrior and horse are symbolic to the war and that of Polo game. He observed the hilly area is more suitable for the adventure sports.

Pervaram Ramulu said the hill area look like Kullu Manali in Himachal Pradesh but here in Jodeghat there will not snow falling like Kullu Manali.

He said Jodeghat is a battlefield and Adivasi legendary Kumram Bheem laid his life fighting with Nizam forces for the Jal, Jangal, and Jameen and described the Kumram Bheem as a real hero.

He said he examined the Jodeghat area when he was a top police officer and even traveled by road and knew the weather conditions of the area.

Pervaram Ramulu promised to give jobs to the local Adivasi unemployed youth to be created in the process of developing the Jodeghat area as best tourist place under Telangana Tourism Corporation and added that nearly 1,000 jobs could be created in the project.

He observed that four months from April to July are not suitable for the tourism at Jodeghat while August to February months suitable to conduct adventure sports to attract the tourists from across the world.

KTR plays his fathers' role on Bheem's anniversary

The minister for Panchayat Raj and IT K. Taraka Rama Rao has played his father Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s role at Jodeghat on the occasion of Komaram Bheem’s 75^th death anniversary.

Last year, Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao attended the same event and promised to develop the Jodeghat as tourist place and subsequently sanctioned Rs 25 crore.

In his speech, Rama Rao said Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has gone to  Delhi to meet the Prime Minister Narendra Modi otherwise he would have attended the Komaram Bheems’ death anniversary and KCR asked the ministers including himself must attend the event.

Along with other Ministers, Ramarao inaugurated Jal, Jaungle and Jameen arch constructed at the Jodeghat and had meal along with Komaram Sonerao, grandson of late Komaram Bheem.     

The kind of security measures made for the KTR at the event reminded the security arrangements generally made for Chandrasekhar Rao. It was quite clear that Taraka Ramarao was a big figure on the dais though there were other three ministers and MLAs on the dais.

Taraka Ramarao begun his speech with greeting the Adivasis in their Gondi language saying ‘Sandirkin Nava Ramaram’ and got good response from the public. He personally received petitions from Adivasi leaders and various organizations and posed for photographs with Adivasi women on the dais. Even, Ramarao had interacted with the Adivasi leaders who put their demands before him.          

Cops vigil on BT road laying works at Jodeghat

Cops are more vigilant than the engineers of Tribal Welfare engineering department on BT road laying works taken up at a cost of Rs 3 crore which are under progress for 22 km from Hatti to Jodeghat in Kerameri mandal and checking regularly the road laying works.

The police suspects that Maoists may hide or plant dynamites or detonators in the new road or repair works taking the advantage of road laying works and to be triggered targeting the political leaders or others in future.

Cops are checking the road laying works with bomb disposal squads and keeping the vigil on the laborers involved in the road works to avoid untoward incidents in future.

The 22 km road is being laid in the dense forest area which was once strong hold of Maoists.

Cops are not leaving any chance to Naxalites since the Maoists issued an ultimatums to the ruling government in the wake of Warangal encounter in which two Maoists were killed.

It is said that Central and state police forces have been combing the Jodeghat and its surrounding forest for the past few days in the wake of 75^th death anniversary of late Komaram Bheem on October 27.

Local police are making trips every day to Jodeghat from Hatti to inspect the road laying works and keep a watch on the suspicious persons moving in the area and also laborers involved in construction works of Komaram Bheem memorial, arch and museum works.

It may be recalled here that, 13 years ago, one person died and few others injured when Naxalites had triggered a bomb targeting a jeep in which government employees were traveling at a curve on the hillock enroute Jodeghat on the day of Komaram Bheem death anniversary.

Jal , Jungle and Jameen arch at Jodeghat

 Jal , Jangal and Jameen Arch at Jodeghat

The Jal, Jangal and Jameen arch is coming up at Jodeghat where Adivasi legendary Komaram Bheem died fighting with Nizam forces for sovereignty on 12 villages and land, forest and water in Kerameri mandal in 1940. Jal and jangal and Jameen arch is being constructed as it reflects the aspirations of the Adivasis.  

State government is developing the area as a tourist and historical place by constructing tribal museum, amphitheater, multi media hall and Komraum Bheem memorial to attract the tourists.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao may inaugurate the Arch Jal Jangal and Jameen and lay foundation stone to a park on the occasion of 75^th death anniversary of Komaram Bheem on October27.

The project is being taken up at a cost of total Rs 25 crore and admonition sanction was given for Rs 18 crore under first phase. A video album was shot at Jodeghat to popularize the project to attract the tourists to develop the place under tourist circuit. The Department of the Tourism is planning to develop the places.

Kumra Manikrao of Jodeghat said for the first time some people looking like foreigners with grey and white hair came to their gudem and it was cultural shock for many of the villagers present on seeing the dressings, behavior and body language of foreigners and added that they spoke in English but villagers could not understand and one person came with them translated into Telugu.

The foreigners took photographs with villagers and all the villagers laughed at them as many of them including women wore shots and sleeveless tops and the entire area of Jodeghat and its surroundings of pristine jungles by using Helicopter camera and there was a photo shoot.

Komaram Baderao expressed concern about their indigenous culture and traditions and expressed anxiety about coming days saying that they don’t know what more they were going to see in future after Jodeghat was fully developed as tourist place.

Most of Adivasis of the Jodeghat were clueless about what was coming up at their village and some of them say that their leader Komaram Bheem’s puthla (statue) was coming up.

Adivasi leaders have started expressing fear of penetration of non- tribals into interior Jodeghat area and will exploit natural resources in the forest just after project was developed as tourist place.

The Adivasis also expressed fear of  non- tribals and outsiders will indulge in sexual exploitation of their gullible Adivasi women in the guise of offering employment under Tourism development like in the Araku valley where Adivasis are inhabitants in the Andhra Pradesh.      

KCR fulfils vows to kin of Bheem

Toilets near Bheem's Samadhi

Chopper amazes Adivasis

    Adivasis thronged to take a close view of helicopter  

The sight of a helicopter, probably, for the first time, amazed the Adivasis of interior Jodeghat in Adilabad district.

Ahead of the Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s visit to the village, a helicopter flew in from Hyderabad which made several founds in the air before landing at Adivasi hamlet and it cheered the Adivaisi of Jodeghat and surrounding places.The Chief minister will visit Jodeghat to pay tributes to the Adivasi legendary Komaram Bheem on his 74^th death anniversary slated for October8.

“It is for the first time that I have seen a helicopter so close. I could not see the landing and take off properly as a lot of dust rose at that time”, said Pendore Bheem Bai, 52, of Jodeghat.

On learning that a helicopter would fly to their hamlet, a large numbers of   villagers of Jodeghat and its surrounding helmets thronged the place to see the aircraft, many of them, for the first time.

Children, who have been enjoying their Dasara holidays, also displayed enthusiasm to watch the helicopter. They climbed atop buildings and tree to have a clean view.

“I saw a helicopter hovering in the air during general elections bit it did not land near our village. Now, the helicopter did land and so I could see it clearly”, said Pendore Keshorao of Jodeghat village.         

The Adivasis feared to go near the chopper singly but in groups, they went near the aircraft to have a close look.

Some Adivasis viewed the landing of the chopper as a sign of changing times and development. But they could not clearly point out the type of progress they wanted to witness. Minister for forest and environment Jogu Ramanna and district MLAs also inspected the arrangements at Jodeghat and also inspected the helipad.

Minister said the state government was committed to the development and welfare of the Adivasis unlike previous governments headed by the Seemandhra rulers.         

The previous governments deliberately neglected observing Komaram Bheem’s death anniversary, he said, the TRS government is committed to the  protecting the rights of the Adivasis, he added.   

Jodeghat to get global design

The allocation of Rs 25 crore in Telangana sate’s first budget for the construction of the freedom fighter Koamaram Bheem’s memorial and other structures at historical Jodeghat in Kerameri mandal has raised the hope of the people of the district.

The engineering officials of ITDA, Utnoor, and district tourism department have show in their design for tribal museum, tribal cultural hub and tourism centre at Jodeghat to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was not happy with the design.

District Tourism Officer V. Ravi Kumar told this newspaper that Mr Rao was not satisfied with their design and assured them to send a top architect   from Hyderabad to Jodeghat to come out with a best design of international standard of the proposed project.

The total project will be taken up without disturbing the scenic beauty, said Mr Ravi Kumar and added that an available land would be acquired without touching the tree the in the forest.

He hoped that an architect would be send to the district in connection to project soon. The district administration has identified 80 acres of land at Jodeghat for the project and among them only 50 acres belonged to government, while the remaining 30 acre patta land belonged to Adivasis.

It is learnt that district officials sent proposals to CCLA (Chief Commissioner of Land Administration, Telangana) seeking permission for acquisition of patta land from the Adivasis and payment of suitable compensation.

The state government had issued GO No .87 sanctioning Rs 25 crore for Komaram Bheem’s memorial project and allocated the same in the first state budget.

The government allocated Rs 25 crore under ST sub- plan for the construction of the memorial, tribal cultural hub and tourism centre.