“If Govt. Apathy continue Vidarbha Kolam Tribals to take Arm for Social Justice”- Protest Rally Resolution

“If Govt. apathy continue Vidarbha Kolam tribals to take arm for social justice”- protest rally resolution

Pandharkawada, ,Apr 06,2011

Very strong sentiments echoed in kolam tribal protest rally organized in vidarbha farm suicide prone tribal part at Pandharkawada (Yavatmal)on 6^th April in which along with all prominent kolam community leaders and more than 2000 kolam tribals participated .

“if kolam starvation ,struggle to get constitutional rights of land, education ,employments and plights of community is till ignored even after the repeated intervention of Natioanl human right commission (NHRC) and Mumbai High Court is continued then kolam tribes will take the arm in hand to get social justice and restore the right to live”

Says unanimous resolution passed in the massive protest rally .senior kolam leader Letuji Junghare ,Tukaram Mesharam, Ramaji Atram and shriram metkar proposed the resolution and young kolam leaders Sushaybhan Dhobale,Vilas Atram,Ambadas Tekam and thousand participant supported the resolution ,Kishor Tiwari convener of this koalm tibes rally informed in press release today. To highlight their grievances, nearly eight lakh Kolam tribals spread over Vidarbha mostly in Yavatmal, Chandrapur and Wardha districts hold a non-political rally in Yavatmal on April 6 organised by Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), activist group working in the interest of farmers and tribals in the region.

Thousands of Kolam tribals in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra who attended the rally echoed the hardship that they are facing starvation and demanded food security and shelter which the state government has failed to provide them despite assurances in the High Court. It was recalled that in June 2009, while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Samiti President Kishore Tiwari, the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court had directed the state government to ensure adequate supply of food grains to these tribals and also told the State Chief Secretary to personally look into it and comply with the orders. A division bench of Justice Dileep Sinha and Justice A P Bhangale had in their order noted failure of official machinery in providing food grains to Kolam tribals. The government had informed HC that it included Kolam tribals in the list of people below poverty line (BPL) but till date nothing has happened and the condition of kolam tribes has further worsen ,kolam leaders informed in the rally.

the Maharashtra Government had even filed affidavits before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) twice in 2007 and 2010 that they are providing food, shelter and potable water to the tribals. But nothing of it has concretised, every the state govt promises ‘ghakul yajana’ providing shulter but fund of kolam tribal is diverted in salry head babus , Tiwari said.

“The state government has been neglecting its own people be it backward class or tribals and forcing them to join arm movement which is unfortunate as these tribals are still facing starvation and has moved an application before the HC over non-compliance of Court orders by the state authorities and recent devlopement of protest rally”, Tiwari said.