ADILABAD: Thousands of Adivasis took to the roads in erstwhile Adilabad district on Wednesday, following the bandh call given by the Adivasi Hakkula Porata Samithi, better known as the Tudum Debba on December 9, an important day for the Adivasis in the long fight for their rights.
Because of Covid-19, the Adivasis confined their agitation this time to the Agency areas in the state.
Adivasis demanded that the state and the Central government, remove Lambadas from the ST list, restore GO 3 which gives 100 per cent job reservation to Tribal people in the Agency areas in the two Telugu states, and sought the rollback of the Layout Regularisation Scheme (LRS) in the agency areas. They also want the government to issue pattas to the podu lands cultivated by them for decades. Due to the sit-in- protests staged by the Adivasis on the main roads in erstwhile Adilabad district, many vehicles on the Utnoor- Asifabad road, were stranded. Leaders and members of the Tudum Debba staged a sit-in protest at the entrance of the Adilabad RTC bus depot, because of which,
RTC buses could not ply the roads till the afternoon.
Shops and business establishments also downed their shutters till 11 am. Adivasis, in large numbers, participated in the Vanta Varpu programme held on the road at Gudihatnoor, leading to Utnoor. There were protests at Indravelli, Utnoor, Jainoor, Asifabad, Nirmal, Mancherial and Komaram Bheem Asifabad districts. From Talamadugu and Tamsi mandals, Adivasis gathered at Sunkidi and staged a sit-in protest in Adilabad district.
The first massive public meeting held by the Adivasis, was at the Saroornagar Stadium on December 9, in 2017. Later, in 2019, the Adivasis conducted a public meeting at the Ramleela Maidan in Delhi on the same day.
