The 35-day prohibitory orders clamped by District Collector P.B. Noohu on the Elavumkal-Nilackal-Pampa-Sabarimala forest stretch of the Sabarimala poonkavanom (sacred grove) has made life miserable for the tribespeople at Attathode, regarded as the second largest tribal settlement in the State.
“The police ask for our Aadhaar card, ration card or any other identity proof, every time we go to Nilackal, Pampa or the district headquarters of Pathanamthitta,” says Narayanan Mooppan, a tribal chief.
The tribespeople earn their livelihood for a year by running small eateries and working at hotels and shops during the Sabarimala pilgrim season. But the controversy over the Supreme Court order on women’s entry, the subsequent protests, and curbs imposed on the movement of people at the pilgrim centre have dashed their plans for this year.
Another door shut
These tribal households, most of them from the Malampandarom clan, used to earn a tidy sum by selling forest produce like honey and frankincense, collected from the forest interiors, to the pilgrims. The lean pilgrim inflow to Sabarimala this year has closed that option too.
The Forest Department has banned the sale of pineapple, soft drinks in tetra packs, biscuits and other foods draped in plastic at Nilackal, Pampa and Sabarimala, thus depriving tribespeople who used to sell pineapple slices, nuts and fried food, a source of income.
Pradeep, who owns a taxi jeep, said the tribespeople at Attathode had 26 autorickshaws, two jeeps, two pick-up vans, three cars, and 50 two-wheelers. The prohibitory orders and the frequent security checks by the police had affected the movement of these vehicles and thus the tribespeople’s livelihood, he said.
‘Pleas unheeded’
Mr. Narayanan and Sujan, another tribesperson, alleged that their repeated pleas to Mr. Noohu to address their grievances had not been heeded. A group of tribespeople from Attathode led by Mr. Narayanan sought the immediate intervention of the State Human Rights Commission. Mr. Narayanan said the condition of the 45-odd nomadic Malampandarom tribal families camping in the Sabarimala forests was more pathetic as they were forced to constantly move from one place to another by the police and the Forest personnel.