Over three decades ago, adivasis of Girjai had destroyed a good extent of forest cover under the influence of Maoists to convert the clearings into agriculture fields. Now, they are hoping to make amends by regrowing the jungle around them and protecting it, in what is being viewed as a turnaround in their attitude towards the environment.
The village was established by the then active Boath dalam of CPI (Marxist-Leninist) People’s War, now known as CPI (Maoist), with the settlement of landless poor aboriginal families from different parts of erstwhile united Adilabad district. The habitation at present has 85 families tilling the forest clearing on which they were given cultivation rights under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
For extra income
The Raj Gond inhabitants of this remote village in Bazarhatnoor mandal on Wednesday told a team of visiting Forest officials, led by Ichoda Forest Divisional Officer M. Barnoba and Forest Range Officer R. Sheelanand, that they want to participate in the Telanganaku Haritha Haram this year by raising forest nearby. They requested the department to supply to them plants, especially of fruit-bearing variety, which will help them earn supplementary income.
“We will have the villagers pass a resolution committing themselves to planting as many trees as possible and protecting those. This will happen on the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5,” said Adilabad District Forest Officer B. Prabhakar who took the initiative of including the Girjai adivasis in the plantation programme.
Villagers’ resolve
“We want work. We will plant trees in our homes, in the village and around the fields, apart from bald patches in the forest,” said Thodasam Devidas, a resident.
“The government should develop a proper road for us to reach the mandal headquarters. We also need to develop water sources locally,” demanded Kumra Shankar, another villager.
Mr. Barnoba assured the villagers that their commitment would earn the department’s support in development. “We will get our officers to examine the feasibility of constructing a check dam on the local stream in addition to small tanks and percolation tanks,” he asserted.
Mr. Prabhakar said the forest staff are making a list of families residing there and the species of plants they require. “The villagers will be given whatever plant types they demand even if it means purchasing those from outside,” he added.
