Former bureaucrat E.A.S. Sarma has taken strong objection to the State government decision to allow AP Tourism Development Corporation to set up structures and allow tourist at Dallapalli, a remote village in Paderu subdivision of Alluri Sitharamaraju District.
In a letter to National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), he pointed out that these villages are a part of the area notified under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, where both the PESA (Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act and the Forest Rights Act (FRA), are applicable.
The Acts empower the local Gram Sabhas to take decisions on schemes, projects and other economic activity that could impinge on their lives. Any decision taken by the government, without prior interaction with the Gram Sabhas, would be prima facie illegal. “The tourism activity in question, which violates the PESA and FRA, would thus be considered illegal,” he said on Thursday.
He pointed out that tourism activity has been drawing flak from all quarters, as the tourists are littering pristine sites with plastic, food wastes and liquor bottles, which is infringing and invasive on the local culture.
‘Intrusive activity’
According to Mr. Sarma, not only Dallapalli, but there are many such sites such as Lambasingi in Chintapalli mandal of ASR district, which have become a victim of intrusive tourism activity.
The State government seems to be unmindful of the damage and havoc that such tourism is causing in these Scheduled Areas, that are detrimental to the interests of the tribals, he said.
