The Girijana Sangham has launched a 16-day cycle rally at the remote Krishnapuram village in Wajedu mandal on Sunday as part of a mass contact programme to exert pressure on the government to make adequate allocations to the welfare of tribals in proportion to their population in the next State budget.
Former MP, Midiam Baburao, flagged off the cycle rally at a programme held under the aegis of Girijana Sangham at Krishnapuram village. The District Cooperative Central Bank (DCCB) new chairman Y. Ravi Kumar and others were present.
The cyclists led by former MLA and Girijana Sangham district president Sunnam Rajaiah embarked on their 16-day cycle rally to traverse a distance of about 429 kms and cover around 300 tribal habitations in Bhadrachalam agency.
Earlier, addressing the villagers Mr Rajaiah alleged that the tribals were struggling to make both ends meet and living in deplorable conditions in the agency area due to the indifferent attitude of the successive governments towards their plight. “The diversion of tribal sub-plan funds to the plain areas has cast a shadow on the welfare of the tribals,” he charged.
“The cycle yatra is aimed at identifying the problems faced by the tribals and mobilising the public opinion to secure sufficient funds for the welfare of tribals and development of tribal habitations, he said.
The rally would culminate in a ‘Maha Dharna' in Bhadrachalam on February 14. The CPI (M) Polit Bureau member and MP Brinda Karat and other prominent leaders will participate, he said.
He said that the activists of Girijana Sangham will lay a siege to the Integrated Tribal Development Agency office in Bhadrachalam on the concluding day of the rally.
