CRAVING FOR A FAIR DEAL

                   WEEKEND [The Indian Express Dated 30-04-2004]

                                          CRAVING FOR A FAIR DEAL

Nilgiris hill district is known for the unique tribal communities. Apart from the Badagas, whose tribal status is still disputed, there are Todas, Kurumbas, Panias, Kattunaikar,Kottas and Moundadan Chetty who make the district rich with their tradition and culture.

While much has been written about different tribal communities in print media, the only community that has been left out is Mouadadan Chetty settled Gudalur on the Tamil Nadu Kerala border since time immemorial , their population is just 5,000.  They speak a dialect which is a mixture of Kannada,Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu.

In 1967, the government included the community in the Most Backward Class (MBC).  Despite this most of the people from the community are not aware about the government departments and the officials, and hence experience much difficulty in getting `chitta adangal` (land ownership), ration cards, community certificate and agricultural loans  points out C.R. Krishnan, Adviser , the Nilgiris District Moundadan Chetty Community Association.

Over the years, the non-tribals like Sri Lankan repatriates and also people from various parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala encroached upon the Section 17 (Jenmam forest lands) and caused much damage to the environment  and ecology of the Nilgiris biosphere by constructing  concrete buildings.

But it is also a fact that tribals, including Moundadan Chetty, had lost their cultivable lands even during the British period due to lock of education.

The bamboo thatched tiny houses built close to the paddy fields, and also the unfinished houses made of bricks still stand testimony to the tribals`interest to protect flora and fauna.

Being one of the educationally and socially most backward areas, Gudalur region of the Nilgiris district requires the urgent attention of the Chief Minister for providing facilities lik higher education, electricity, protected drinking water, better roads and health care so that tribals could come up in life.

Their basic demands include setting up of a government arts and science college, polytechnic and an industrial training institute in Gudalur.  Up gradation of Gudalur Govt. Hospital, provision of patta to the original settlers of Gudalur region and a request to the Kerala Government to uplift the 102 Moundaan Chetty families living in the Wayanad district of that state.

                                                            //TRUE COPY//