Social activist and former IAS officer E.A.S. Sarma has criticised reservation of ZPTC and MPTC seats in the scheduled areas for non-tribals.
In a representation to Principal Secretary, Tribal Welfare, R.P. Sisodia, he said some ZPTC and MPTC seats had been reportedly reserved for non-tribals in the scheduled areas of Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts.
“In my view, it is highly imprudent on the part of the State government to reserve any seats in ZPTCs and MPTCs for non-tribals in the scheduled areas of the State.”
He said the Agency Tracts Interest and Land Transfer Act 1917, (Act of 1917), AP Scheduled Area Land Transfer Regulation, 1959 (Regulation 1 of 1959) and AP Scheduled Area Lands Transfer (Amendment) Regulation, 1970, prohibited the transfer of tribal lands to non-tribals.
Unfortunately, as a result of the continuing indifference on the part of the successive governments, the requirements of these laws had rarely been complied with and, as a result, there had been a large-scale infiltration of non-tribals from outside to the scheduled areas, tilting the demographic balance in many villages to the disadvantage of the tribals, he pointed out.
“It is important that this requirement of Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, 1996, is enforced strictly and the illegal non-tribal occupiers of the lands in the villages are not allowed to be counted for the purpose of enforcing the requirements of Section 4(g) of the Act,” he stated.
He said “the State government, in my view, if needed, should invoke this provision and amend PESA itself explicitly to provide 100% reservation for the adivasis in ZPTCs and MPTCs. This will have the effect of correcting many historical injustices meted out to the adivasis.”
