One year on, Junglemahal to catch up with parivartan

20 June 2012

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 20 JUNE: A year has passed since Mamata Banerjee and her party, Trinamul Congress, took over Writers' Buildings getting a clear mandate from the people as she won them over with a thousand promises. It was just last month that the state government released its performance book after completing one year in office, boasting of the change and development that the party brought in the state. In Junglemahal, however, the picture is quite different as the word ‘development’ doesn't hold true in this case.
Even after a year, same problems plague the tribals in Junglemahal as the Trinamul Congress failed to keep its promises in West Midnapore.
During the last Assembly poll, Miss Mamata Banerjee gave many assurances to people, but laws meant for protection of tribal rights have not been implemented yet in the tribal heartlands of Jhargram sub-division. As a result the women still have to migrate to big cities in search of livelihood. Surveys carried out by different NGOs under the guidelines of the Union social welfare ministry reveal that the  Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, which was framed to prevent atrocities on SCs and STs, has not been executed here, though there has been enormous efforts to free the area from Maoist activities.
“Since tribal women have to spend ample time in forests collecting produce like sakhua and chironjee seeds, medicinal plants, kendu leaves and mahua fruits, which fetch good market prices, efforts should be made to secure their rights and restore forest cover,” reports suggested.
A Naxalite party which is active in the Gopiballavpur area said: “Tribals should be given permanent land pattas (deeds) under the Forest Right Act, as they do not have legal right over the land in which they have lived for years.”
The state government had announced a few months ago that it would buy forest products collected by people living in Maoist-hit area of the state, but, no initiative has been taken yet, the report said.
Moreover, reeling under an acute financial crisis, the state forest department has failed to involve the forest protection teams in planting new saplings of trees across the forest.
“The tribals are finding it hard to maintain their livelihood. At some pockets in the Belpahari, Banshpahari and Gopiballavpur areas, foodgrain is not being supplied to the beneficiaries thus adding to the woes of the tribals,” said Mr Santan Hansda, a resident of Belpahari. Economy has taken a backseat in Junglemahal as the security forces have launched a crackdown to reclaim territory from the Maoist-backed tribals. Tribals, nowadays, have stopped entering the forests for collecting kendu leaves in fear of being rounded up by security forces.
Admitting that restoration of faith among the villagers is necessary, a senior police officer, however, said security forces are not harassing the villagers. “If they want to go in the forest for collecting kendu leaves, security forces will not disturb them,” said Mr Alok Rajoria, additional superintendent of police, Jhargram.