INDIA: Kandha tribe families confront serious food insecurity after the forest officials demolished their houses in Orissa

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) August 5, 2011 -- Hunger Alert Case: AHRC-HAC-006-2011
http://www.humanrights.asia/news/hunger-alerts/AHRC-HAC-006-2011

5 August 2011
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Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received the information from ANTODAYA, a human rights group working in the Kalahandi district of Orissa that in October 2010, forest department officials from Taljaring Beat demolished the houses of twelve families of the Kandha tribe who were living in Hardaguda village. The officials came all of sudden without any prior notice and demolished the houses. They also dragged the women out of the houses using abusive words against them. The officials said that the Kandha stayed in reserved forests, which is illegal. However, the Kandha’s ancestors had settled in the village early 1920s cultivating land and the families had to move to other villages to avoid attacks from wild animals at that time. In 2002, the families returned to their home village, seeking livelihood, but no public facilities and benefits have been provided for the families. After demolition, the families have been deprived of their right to food and houses addition to lack of health and education facilities. The local human rights groups help the families to reconstruct their houses and the administration pay attention to the families. Yet, the families have not obtained titles to the land in accordance with the Forest (rights) Act 2006. No action was taken against the forest officials who destroyed the Kandha’s property without proper due process violating the Kandha’s fundamental rights.

CASE NARRATIVE:

In October 2010, forest officials belonging to Taljaring beat of Junagarh block destroyed the houses of 12 Kandha tribal families who were living in Hardaguda Village, Bhawanipatna block, Kalahandi District, Orissa. Kandha tribes are traditionally engaged in hunting and collecting fruits and roots from the forest mainly depending on forest resources for food. Without any prior notice, the officials demolished the houses dragging out and verbally abusing the women. According to the officials, the Kandha families were illegally living in the reserved forest area. The Hardaguda village is located in the border of three villages -- Chancher, Taljaring, and Dedara. Kandha tribes were living on the bank of Sagada River without revenue status.

These 12 families have been living in the village for last 9 years since 2002. The ancestors had lived in Hardaguda in around 1922-23 doing agriculture, but all shifted to Gudang village of Chancher Gram Panchayat located in the same block as they were facing threats from the wild animals. However, 12 Kandha families came back to settle down in Hardaguda village in 2002 seeking food and livelihood. No administration has intervened into their settlement nor informed the families of their residential status until the forest officials came to destroy the houses without prior notice in October 2010, which is 8 years after the families’ settlement.

While the Kandha families were living in Hardaguda village since 2002, they had no proper road communication, electricity, and safe drinking water, public health, and education facilities as these needs were totally ignored by the administration. They were happy with their agriculture and forest produce but after demolition, the families face serious food insecurity.

Kandha’s critical living condition received media and civil society's attention in April 2011 including the District level Vigilance and Monitoring Committee for Scheduled Tribe & Scheduled Caste (prevention of Atrocities) Act. The District Collector of Kalahandi ordered the sub-Collector and the District Welfare Officer (DWO) to visit the village and submit a report before the Committee. The Collector also ordered the officers to find out ways to support the community for providing housing support first and then to rehabilitate them in a proper manner.

The local human rights group, ANTODAYA with the villagers met the District and Sessions Judge (Chairman of the District Legal Services Authority Kalahandi) on May 1. The Villagers asked the District Judge to lodge their complaint for legal assistance in the case. Subsequently on July 5, the sub-Collector and the DWO with the help of local human rights organization visited the village. The DWO advised the villagers to file the claim under Forest (Rights) Act 2006.
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read more: http://www.humanrights.asia/news/hunger-alerts/AHRC-HAC-006-2011

indigenous people     right to food     right to housing     right to land