Bengaluru: Chief minister Siddaramaiah Tuesday instructed officials to improve infrastructure and delivery of essential services in tribal habitats, setting them a two-month deadline to implement these measures. The directive includes provision of roads, streetlights, drinking water, and housing facilities for tribal communities residing within or near forest areas.
The orders were issued at a meeting with tribal representatives and welfare officers, which followed concerns over inadequate facilities in colonies, particularly after the recent police encounter killing of Naxal Vikram Gowda.
"I will conduct a review in two months. If there is any laxity in implementing my directions, strict action will be taken," Siddaramaiah warned officials.
He emphasised that all tribal people residing in and on peripheries of forests should be immediately allotted houses. "Roads to their colonies should be built, and they must be provided with drinking water and streetlights," he said. He also directed officials to issue below poverty line (BPL) cards to tribal families within 15 days. He instructed the revenue, forest, and social welfare departments to coordinate in delivering these services.
Efforts will also be made to rehabilitate tribals by allocating residential plots near forests if they agree, with deputy commissioners tasked to identify suitable lands.
The CM urged resolving technical issues in distributing land titles to tribal communities, with over 12,000 applications received. So far, only 4,856 individual titles have been granted, covering 6,363 acres of land.
In Mysuru alone, Siddaramaiah's home district, 2,963 families are without land, while 1,222 families own land but lack homes. Neighbouring districts of Chamarajanagar and Kodagu face similar issues. The govt has taken steps to provide electricity connections, with solar lights being provided to unconnected settlements but the govt has decided to provide additional connections.