Andhra Pradesh is an ideal sanctuary for tribals driven out of their homes in southern Chhattisgarh. The two states share a border. Some tribals, such as the Khoyas, a sub-group of the Gond tribe, speak Telugu and actually have members of their extended family in the state. Others have worked in Andhra Pradesh, in tobacco and chilli farms, in the past. And still others prefer to live in forests in the state where they are unlikely to be bothered by either Salwa Judum or the Maoists as long as they keep out of sight. “Nearly 30% of the (tribal) population (in southern Chhattisgarh) has been displaced at various times during this conflict (between Salwa Judum and the Maoists), with half of them in the camps and, half in the forests and in Andhra Pradesh,” says Himanshu Kumar of Vanvasi Chetna Ashram, a non-governmental organization.
The Madia settlement in the forests in the Khammam district houses people belonging to the third category. The Madias are expert woodcutters who can clear large swathes of forests rapidly. Unlike other tribals who live in mud huts, Madias live in those made from rough-hewn planks. The men in this settlement work in farms in the area. Such settlements do cause the occasional conflict with locals, typically over the cutting of trees. “In Khammam, out of the 100 hamlets that we know about, conflicts with locals have occurred in 10-15. But these people (the tribals) are a source of much needed cheap agricultural labour in these parts, so locals generally don’t oppose” their presence, says P. Raghu of ActionAid, a non-governmental organization.
*************
Why the Judum fell
The Salwa Judum’s violent methods and corruption in camps has led to the organization’s decline. “The governments of India and Chhattisgarh spend Rs100 a day on every camp inmate. So they (Salwa Judum) are inflating the number of people in camps and siphoning off money...,” alleges Ajit Jogi, a former Congress party chief minister of the state. “Disposable plastic drinking cups that cost 20 paise each are being bought for Rs9,” alleges an activist who does not wish to be identified.
Both the Congress and the BJP are now distancing themselves from Salwa Judum. “The Salwa Judum has only caused damage... How is it beneficial to us?” asks Satyanarayana Sharma, a Congress legislator from Chhattisgarh. “The government has begun to consciously distance itself from Salwa Judum. It has even replaced the earlier collector of Dantewada district who was actively pro-Judum. The current collector is trying to set right the excesses of Salwa Judum,” says a government official who does not wish to be identified.
This change in the government’s stance has resulted in a decline in Salwa Judum’s activities. Earlier this year, the organization asked the government for permission to restart the ‘padayatras’, or marches, through villages, rustling up support and conscripting members. The government declined permission.
************
Fight for resources
Chhattisgarh is one of the most resource-rich states in India: 18% of India’s coal, 20% of its iron ore, and almost all its tin deposits are to be found here. In all, the state has enough mineable resources of around 28 minerals and metals, including diamonds.
Last year (2007-08) alone, around 206,780 tonnes of iron ore was mined in the nine months to December and the state government earned around Rs700 crore in the same period from royalty payments on mining, according to Chhattisgarh’s directorate of mining.