Tribal organisations begin 48-hour satyagraha at Aralam farm

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

Aralam grama panchayat president V. Shobha inaugurated the protest demanding immediate action by the Tribal Resettlement and Development Mission (TRDM) to address long-standing safety concerns faced by residents in the rehabilitation settlement.

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

Inaugurating the protest, Ms. Shobha said it was discriminatory that even after two decades since the launch of the tribal rehabilitation programme at Aralam farm, adequate protection for the life and property of tribal families had not been ensured.

The protesters alleged that 16 lives had been lost in wild elephant attacks in the resettlement area over the past two decades and accused the district administration of evading responsibility for the deaths. They said no action had been taken against officials despite what they termed repeated lapses.

Mr. Koyyon alleged that in the past 10 years, the State government had prioritised cancelling land titles of plots abandoned by tribal families who had fled the area due to recurring wild elephant attacks and granting title deeds to encroachers instead of implementing welfare measures for the tribal community.

He also alleged that the electric fencing that functioned effectively during the initial phase of the rehabilitation programme was later dismantled with the knowledge of the district administration.

According to the protesters, although the government had sanctioned ₹58 crore for constructing elephant-proof walls, the work on the project was moving at a slow pace with only a small number of workers engaged for the purpose.

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

Although many of these demands had been accepted in principle, the organisations alleged that no concrete action had followed, prompting the launch of the satyagraha.

They warned that if the assurances given by the authorities were not implemented, they would approach the court seeking legal action over the deaths and intensify their agitation with prolonged strike.