Team Herald
PONDA: A group of villagers from Nirankal destroyed the houses of a tribe on Sunday depriving them of their basic needs.
The attack on the Makadmare (Monkey hunters) Tribes came to light when the District Collector registered a complaint with the Ponda Police Station, after which police protection was provided to them. The 13 families of this tribe, who are originally from Maharashtra, have been staying in hilly area at Nirankal which falls under the jurisdiction of the Bethora Panchayat, for almost 50 years.
Living in primitive conditions and having no education, these tribals depend entirely on day-to-day wages and have no other source of income.
The 13 families were shocked to see their huts being attacked and damaged by a group of 15 men and four women from Nirankal on Sunday. Whilst they were damaging their huts, they asked them to leave the village immediately.
Sources say that these villagers might have got an inspiration from the incident a day earlier at Usgao where some houses of immigrants were damaged due to a petty fight.
Following the complaint by South Goa District Magistrate Swapnil Naik, the Ponda Police are now deployed to provide protection this tribal community.
Following the attack, the uneducated tribals didn’t even know how to lodge a complaint. Some children from this tribe, who are below six years, are studying in the Government Primary School at Nirankal.
“Our children are facing the winter cold. They were accustomed to Solar Panel light which is now destroyed after their huts were attacked. Children are begging for the lights to be restored since yesterday,” said Gopal Vasant Powar (42) who has been residing at Nirankal since his birth.
Another elderly person Govind Rajaram Powar (who is around 70 years) said that they have settled here for the past 50 years and that they are originally from Maharashtra. Earlier their profession was hunting, he said, but now since forest laws forbid hunting wild animals, they work as daily labourers with local villagers for their livelihood.
The villagers destroyed the nine solar lamp provided by North Goa MP Narendra Savoikar some years ago. These lamps used to provide them light during the night. The families have around 40 children who are now spending the night bearing the winter cold as many of them do not have proper clothes to wear.
Gopal, who luckily could speak to this reporter, said not a single villager had ever threatened them to leave the village for the past 50 years.
Recently they received the Aadhaar Card, Ration Card and few days ago some 20 of them have filled in the forms for voting rights.
When asked what his immediate fear was, he said, “We are worried about threats, we want our shelters repaired, proper education and any sort help or relief which could give them some relief.
Local Panch member Chandrakant Samant, who is also husband of Sarpanch Poonam Samanth said that the Bethora Gramsabha have several times taken a resolution to clear the tribes from their village claiming them are troubling the villagers. Based upon Gramsabha suggestion the Panchayat body had submitted a memorandum to the Collector and Government to remove them from village and shift them elsewhere and rehabilitate in a proper manner. He said the tribes are residing on Nirankal Comunidade land which it had given to forest on lease.
Dalit Ekta Samithi Convenor Avinash Zadav from Valpoi and Namdev Rajaram Naik from Marcaim said that government should provide them help on humanitarian grounds.
