The Adivasis of former united Adilabad on Sunday informed the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) that the ‘illegal’ entry of Lambadas into the ST list was the biggest hurdle to their development.
They said that they would represent this matter at the Legal Services Camp (LSC) to be held at Keslapur on July 27 and expected it to be attended by the State and National Legal Services’ Authority officials besides local administration.
DLSA Secretary J. Jeevan Kumar and Boath Judicial Magistrate First Class B.V. Kiran Kumar attended a preparatory meeting here, during which they were apprised of the several problems the Adivasis were facing.
The speakers, including State Secretary of Adivasi Hakkula Porata Samithi, better known as Tudum Debba, discussed about representation of Adivasi land occupied by Lambadas. The Adivasis informed the judges of a community called Beldar, the members of which were obtaining ST certificates through fraudulent means and landing with government jobs. District president of Andh Adivasi Seva Samithi Vishnu Mukkade complained that as many as 27 of them were doing government jobs by showing fake ST certificates.
Mr. Jeevan Kumar said that the matter regarding the alleged fraudulent entry of Lambadas was with the SC. However, he asked the Adivasis to make representations on all other problems.
“We are organising the LSC on the orders of the National LSA to create awareness on rights of tribals under Tribal Rights’ Protection initiative. We have done similar camps earlier at Mamidiguda and Jhari, based on which roads were laid and electric lines rigged among other developments,” the DLSA Secretary said.