Adivasis Protest Against GO 49, Want It Cancelled Immediately
Hill rich in minerals in Morrigudem village has already been fenced off for future extraction, and associates of a senior political leader were eyeing the area for mining operations: Adivasi leader Soyam Chinnaiah
ADILABAD: Adivasis staged a dharna under the banner of Tudum Debba at the Asifabad Collectorate on Monday, demanding that the state government cancel GO No. 49, which declared the corridor area between the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra and the Kawal Tiger Reserve as the Komaram Bheem Conservation Reserve. The protesters claimed that the move threatens their very existence and livelihood.
Addressing the gathering, Sirpur (T) MLA Palvai Harish Babu said they would continue the fight with the support of local communities until the state government revokes GO 49. He warned that implementation of the order would result in both Adivasis and non-tribals losing their rights over natural resources.
Kotnak Vijay, state president of Tudum Debba, said they would intensify their agitation if the state government fails to cancel the order outright, rather than merely keeping it in abeyance.
Adivasi leader Soyam Chinnaiah alleged that a conspiracy was underway involving the sarpanches of Karji, Motlaguda, Muraliguda, and Kammargaon gram panchayats in connection with the Komaram Bheem Conservation Reserve Management Committee.
He further claimed that a hill rich in minerals in Morrigudem village has already been fenced off for future extraction, and associates of a senior political leader were eyeing the area for mining operations.
Komaram Bheem–Asifabad former Zilla Parishad vice chairman Koneru Krishna, Tudum Debba leaders Godam Nagesh and Purka Bapurao, along with BJP leaders Arigela Nageshwar Rao and Koppula Shankar, also spoke at the protest.
