Basic facilities a mirage for Devarapura residents

People belonging to the tribal community in Gonikoppa have been deprived of basic facilities since generations.

The people who were dwelling inside the forest are now compelled to come out of the forests and live in tribal hamlets. However, the living standards of people here are still abysmal.

Devarapura tribal hamlet is one such place where 160 families comprising 120 families of Jenukuruba community and 40 families of Yarava communities are living. Out of these, 40 families were provided with Janata houses with 12x20 feet measurement, by the government in 1988, owing to efforts by the then Zilla Parishat president Jammada Karumbaiah and Devarapura Gram Panchayat president Cheppudira Arun Machaiah.

All these houses are in the dilapidated condition today. The financial situation of the residents is not good enough to repair these houses. Rest of the families live in huts. The people depend upon daily wage work for their livelihood.

As the land is identified as 'Devarakadu' in revenue documents, the people have no title deeds. They have been deprived of basic facilities such as electricity, roads, drinking water and toilets. The solar lamps provided to the residents by ITDP have not been working.

Jenukurubara Subramani said that the tribals here have been facing harassment by local landowners. The government is not responding to the woes of the tribals.

Due to water scarcity, the women have to fetch water from a stream situated inside the forest, several kilometres away from the hamlet. Every year, at least two women become victims of wild elephant menace when they go to the forest to fetch water. There is no security for our lives, said Subramani.

Elderly, pregnant and ailing persons face a hard time visiting hospitals as the roads are not fit for the movement of vehicles.

Many residents in the tribal hamlet have been suffering from anaemia. The requests made by the tribal residents to the authorities concerned have fallen on deaf ears, complained residents.