Wayanad tribal rehab scheme a big failure, says report

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A report of the tribal rehabilitation development mission (TRDM), after a field verification into the rehabilitation of the extremely vulnerable Paniya and Kattunaykka sections of tribespeople in Wayanad district, said that the rehabilitation mission was a total failure and it blatantly violated all the rights of the tribespeople that the law assures them, including forcing them to move out of their traditional dwellings.

As many as 120 families out of 229 in eight tribal settlements were rehabilitated by the forests and wildlife department in Wayanad, says the report (accessed by TOI) of the special officer of TRDM addressed to the additional chief secretary of SC, ST development department.

In one of the tribal hamlets, Kurichyad, which is the traditional dwelling place of weak and vulnerable Kattunaykka and Paniya tribes, Rs 10 lakh each were earmarked for land purchase for 75 families. However, the registration procedures for the land for only 41 families could be completed, leaving the remaining 34 in the lurch. In effect, those from whom the land was purchased got their money but the 34 tribal families were left landless, the report said.

The report also points out that several families filed complaints with the Wayanad district collector that they were forcibly made to sign the consent form for rehabilitation. Since no arrangements were made for their livelihood, including farming, cattle rearing or collecting forest produce, many of the rehabilitated ones have gone back to Kurichyad, the field inspection found.

The lives of several families moved out from Noolppuzha panchayat have been derailed after their rehabilitation and some of them are undergoing treatment after they started showing signs of mental illness. They are living in a state of sorrow as their traditional life and belief have been adversely affected with the rehabilitation.

Two families rehabilitated from Kottankara hamlet are now wandering among the houses of their relatives as the land allotted to them near Ambalavayal is unfit for building houses. The rehabilitation project did not consider the fact that the lives of these tribals are closely knit with forests and they are highly dependent on the forests for their day-to-day life.

The rehabilitation project, conceived without any preparations and a proper study on how such projects would impact them, has destroyed the lives of these tribespeople, the report said. The rehabilitation programme also violated Section 4(2) of the Forests Rights Act, 2006 passed by the Centre. Based on the field inspection report, the tribal development department has asked the forest department for an immediate course correction.

Corrigendum:

The TOI report published on March 6 regarding tribal development department taking exception to the rehabilitation scheme for the tribespeople has referred to the scheme as Navakiranam project under the Rebuild Kerala Initiative. The Navakiranam project is meant for non-tribal families and the department's differences with forest and wildlife department is against the scheme for rehabilitation of the tribespeople. The error is regretted.