A fact-finding report on the apathy of officialdom towards the Juanga tribals who are classified as a ‘Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group’
Tribal woman with child; all pics by GASS
The Nagada village of Chingudipala Panchayat of Sukinda block in Jajpur district, Odisha caught headlines of the state and national media due to continuous child deaths in July-August, 2016. Now five to six months have already passed. A six-member team of the “Ganatantrik Adhikar Surakha Sangathan” visited the place on February 4, 2017 to learn about the on-going programs of the state government in addressing malnutrition problems of Nagada village.
The team visited villages such as Upara Nagada, Majhi Nagada, Tala Nagada and Naliadaba villages of Chingudipala panchayat. Two months back our team had gone to Malkangiri district where more than hundred children died in few months due to Japanese Encephalitis (JE). We will bring a detailed report soon on continuous death of children in Odisha due to malnutrition. Here we are bringing before you some of the findings of the team which had gone to Nagada village.
It was in the month of July 2016 that a two-month-old son of Laxmi Pradhan of Tala Nagada suffered with red boils in his entire body including mouth followed with heavy fever, loose motion and vomiting. The child stopped breast feeding and he died within 48 hours. Similar symptoms were noticed in other children of age group varying from 2 months to 4 years, mainly from Tala Nagada and Majhi Nagada hamlets.
Within few weeks, that disease spread to number of children and most of them died within two to three days of suffering. The state government has confirmed 19 such deaths. The team confirms the fact that it was due to malnutrition those children became prone to diseases and died instantly.
Nagada village, Odisha
During discussions with the women of these hamlets, it was revealed that the pulse-polio programme of the government of India had not reached Nagada till 2016. Only when negligence and apathy of the state government came in for severe criticism were two mini-anganwadi centers opened. Laxmi Pradhan and Kamala Pradhan of Nagada village who lost their child in recent past have been assigned with food distribution work at the Anganwadi Center without any formal training. The government has not yet posted even an Anganwadi worker there on a permanent basis.
Naveen Pattnaik, chief minister of Odisha formed Task Force comprising various bureaucrats to address the situation. As part of this Task Force, Bishal Kumar Dev, IAS and Secretary, Department of Women and Child Development, had said that health camp would run permanently at Nagada. But the fact-finding team did not see any such health camp in Nagada village. The team did find women and children who are suffering from fever but are not getting medical attention.
The nearest government run bedded hospital, Community Health Center, is at Sukinda, 50 km away from the village. The only Nutrition Centre which was opened at Tata Mines Nursing Home, Kaliapani in August last year with the help of the government was stopped in October, 2016.
Manoj Ahuja, Principal Secretary, Agriculture and Cooperation had said that Nagada villagers would get ration items, rice and kerosene, of double amount. But this continued only for two months and was stopped in October, 2016. The villagers said that they are only getting 5kg of rice per head under new Food Security Programme.
The intention of the government in addressing the problems of Nagada village is quite doubtful. Nagada is a revenue village and its latest survey and settlement was done in 1980s. As per the Record of Rights, out of total 761.45 acres of geographical are only 19.38 acres of land has been designated as private land whereas 618.6 acres has been shown as forest land.
The Juanga tribals are covered under the classification of ‘Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group’. When the government’s negligence in implementation of Forest Rights Act, 2006 came into question after recent incident the revenue department hurriedly initiated process of distribution of pattas under Forest Rights Act.
The team members observed that few families have received 8 decimal of land as homestead in Sal forest having same Khata Number 6 and Plot number 174. The supposed beneficiary families failed to identify the land that belongs to them when the team members enquired. This clearly means the revenue department has not followed the process properly.
Though the government claims that it is encouraging Juanga tribals to adopt agriculture as their main livelihood, it has not given them appropriate land pattas. As per the FR Act, the families are entitled to get 8 to 10 acres of forest land for cultivation. The villagers said they depend on the forest for 8 to 9 months for their livelihood. They collect different roots, fruits and leaves which they showed the team members. But the government has not yet given community rights over their own forest land.
Connecting Road from Kalianpani Mines to NALCO Nagar via Nagada village
Though they are covered under ‘Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group’ little attention has been paid towards protecting the social and cultural life of Juanga tribes. Rather, both central and state governments have started playing with the life of tribals even as they claim to be trying to mitigate the severe malnutrition problems of Juangas. The government has yet to provide any medical care. Meanwhile, the rural development department has come with a mega plan of building a 10-14 meters wide road through the Harichanpur Telekoi Reserved Forest area.
Already the contractors engaged for construction of such road have uprooted or cut down hundreds of big trees using heavy machinery. This road will go past Nagada hamlets. While the villagers require an all-season village road, what is coming up is a wide road for connecting Kaliapani chromite mines to Angul NALCO aluminium city through Kamakhaprasad. This is a plan of investing crores of money by both Rural Development Ministry of the government of India and government of Odisha, according to the road workers.
On different occasions the government officers have asked the Juangas to have faith in policies of the government and to leave the forest. They had insisted that the tribals come down to plane area near the mining site and settle there.
Prafulla Ghadei said in a TV interview, “Juanga tribals of Nagada are partly responsible for their situation. We have tried persuading them to go down to the planes. They will be provided with houses and land. But they are refusing.”
The question is, has the government rehabilitated those 4 lakh tribals who were displaced by different mega projects including Hirakud Dam? Now tribals of Kalinga Nagar industrial area of same Jajpur district are going from pillar to post to get justice. Why then would the Juangas would leave their forest? Who would be benefited?
Cutting of tress inside Reserved Forest for road construction
The team members suspect intention of the government in constructing roads inside the reserved forest. There are 13 chromite mines of 12 companies operating around 15-20 km radius of Nagada for last 40 years. These are Sukinda Chromite Mines of Tata; Jindal Chromite Mines; Balasore Alloys Limited of Birla; IMFA; Sukinda Mines, Kaliapani Mines and Dhaneswar Mines of Odisha Mining Corporation, a government Odisha Unit; IDCOL; Mishrinal Chromite Mines and BC Mohanty and Sons Chromite Mines etc.
These companies have not done anything for development of the region, not even plantation or even opening a health care unit. But for ‘addressing malnutrition problem’ now the government is constructing a wider road for industrial development of the area. If this continues, the Juanga tribals will soon be uprooted from their villages.
It is pathetic that even today the government of Odisha has failed to open an Anganwadi Center, a primary school and a Primary Health Center at Nagada. But it is constructing a mega road spending crores of money. This road is chopping down hundreds of trees which would have been the livelihood of these Juangas.
At this juncture the team demands:
- Every human being has a right to get proper drinking water, proper health care and education. These should be provided immediately to the Nagada villagers.
- The road construction work should be stopped and a village road should be constructed.
- More fruit bearing trees should be planted inside the reserved forest which could be useful for the Juangas.
- The government should distribute forest pattas after conducting palli sabha and the adivasis should be provided with community rights.
- The government should stop giving new mining leases and should review work of existing mines bearing in mind the problems of industrial pollution and preserving the lifestyle of existing Juanga tribals.
We hope that the government would give respect to the fifth schedule of the constitution and bring changes in its attitude.
(This report has been prepared Dr. Golak Bihari Nath, Working President, Ganatantrik Adhikar Surakha Sangathan, Odisha, Bhubaneswar).