While the fury of torrential rains has reduced along the Western Ghats, 23 families of an isolated Kadar tribal settlement in Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), located around 25 km from Valparai, are in a struggle to live in the forest, which they believe is their right.
Their struggle started more than a week ago, when huts made of bamboo and dry grass in the settlement where several generations of the ethnic tribe lived fell apart following a landslip in the forest on the night of August 11. With no other options left, the families moved to a nearby plain area of the forest and erected huts. However, the move was not welcomed by the Forest Department that reportedly wanted to them vacate the forest dwellings.
As a last resort, around 100 residents of the settlement started a protest as Forest Department staff asked them to remove the huts. “Our forefathers lived here inside the forest. We do not want to be relocated from the forest where we are accustomed to all conditions,” said Sivasankarai, a resident, over phone.
Another resident, Rajalakshmi, a young mother, agreed with Sivasankari. “We moved to the new place only because the settlement was damaged in landslip. Those moved to the new huts include children, elders and pregnant women. We are not causing any harm to the wildlife. We will not be able to survive if shifted to any other place outside forest,” she said.
Kadars are among the six tribal communities living in the forests of ATR. Malasar, Malaimalasar, Muduvar, Pulayar and Eravalar are the other tribal communities, whose combined population is nearly 6,000 according to Forest Department records.
Kallar Kadar tribal settlement, which falls under Manombolly forest range of ATR, is among 35 settlements of these tribes in the tiger reserve. The residents have to walk for around six km through dense forest to reach Thaimudi, the nearest human settlement outside the forest.
According to the residents, the representatives of the settlement had called on Minister for Municipal Administration S.P. Velumani at Valparai on August 17 and submitted a petition to shift the landslip-hit huts to the new location inside the forest.
“The Minister had given an oral consent in reply to the petition. However, no official order has been issued to the effect. Forest Department officials are asking for an order permitting them to erect huts and live in the new location,” said S. Thanraj, a tribal rights activist who visited the settlement on Monday.
According to him, the residents who were struggling to erect new huts, did not have proper food from August 11.
A senior official from ATR said that the Forest Department had arranged Government relief fund of ₹10,000 for the families in the settlement that were affected by rain and landslip.
“The newly erected huts amount to encroachment as there is no provision for relocation of the settlement within the forest. Though the residents were offered revenue land near Valparai for relocation, they were not willing to take that up,” said the official.
