A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court has ordered that funds available under various schemes for tribal people should not be diverted in any manner and they should accordingly be utilised only for providing the required amenities and facilities to the tribal people.
The Bench led by Chief Justice S. Manikumar issued the directive while disposing of a suo motu case registered on a petition by some tribal people in the colonies of Malappuram, Thrissur, Ernakulam, and Wayanad districts highlighting the failure of the government to provide amenities to them.
The court directed the State government to take steps to upgrade the primary health centres (PHCs) and hospitals in the tribal colonies to meet the requirements of the tribes. The court ordered that mobile medical units should be pressed into service without fail in colonies where hospitals and primary health centres were located far away.
The court directed that the government ensure the roads already formed in colonies should be properly maintained, without fail, to avoid any difficulties to the tribal people. The fund available for distribution among the tribal people under any scheme should be paid to them, and if arrears were there, it should be paid within 30 days, the court directed.
All necessary arrangements should be made to ensure that the children of tribal people were provided with sufficient equipment such as mobile phones and laptops to attend online classes, the court ordered.
