Tribe in distress
AROUND two hundred people of the Kada tribe of the Parambiculam wildlife sanctuary in Kerala have opted to move out to other parts of the district. In a letter to the forest minister P R Kurup, seventy four Kada families have suggested Malampuzha or Kollengode as the sites for alternative settlement.
The tribals are opting to move out because of problems of communication, and livelihood. According to Gangadharan, the village spokesperson, there is only one bus in service there and they have to travel eight kilometres to catch it. Their pleas to the authorities have fallen on deaf ears, he says.
The other problem is land. There is not enough land for cultivation, say the tribals. It is the same old story of crop raiding as the wild animals destroy whatever is planted in the little land they have. Their only source of income is the work provided by the forest department in teak plantations, manitanence of roads, buildings, dams, water holes etc, says Subramaniam, who resides in the village.