Thiruvananthapuram: Alcoholism, lack of educational and employment opportunities, wild animal attacks, and lack of transportation were highlighted at a meeting convened by the District Collector here on Tuesday to discuss the problems faced by Scheduled Tribes in the Njaraneeli area.
District Collector S. Venkatesapathy said it was impractical to find solutions for all the problems at one go. Initial focus should be on identifying five main issues and finding solutions to them through allocation of funds and drawing up projects through concerted efforts of all departments. Only after these problems had been solved effectively should other issues be taken up in phases.
A review meeting would be held next week in the presence of people’s representatives, he said. Officials concerned should present reports on solutions and how to implement them at the meeting, Mr. Venkatesapathy said.
Represetatives of the Integrated Tribal Development Project, police, Forest Department, local self-government institutions, Revenue, Integrated Child Development Services, and Kudumbasree took part in the meeting.
