Malkangiri: Six tribal families of Mathili block in Malkangiri district succumbed to the threat of Maoists and left their ancestral land Thursday, a report said.
Even as Maoists are gradually losing ground in Kalimela and Motu areas of the district, their impact is looming large in Mathili block. As a result, many innocent tribals have got fed up and some have preferred to leave.
According to sources, these families belonged to Kerameti and Tulasi villages under Mathili police limits. It is said local villagers spend every moment in despair in this Maoist prone area.
They work hard through the day to eke out a living for their family members, but they earn everyday to feed the Maoists, an aggrieved villager said. Whoever refuses to contribute rice and vegetables to them faces dire consequences.
A member of the six families (requesting anonymity) said, “Tribals are beaten black and blue if they are found carrying a mobile phone. They are suspected to be police informers when they go out to towns from their villages on personal work.”
However, the families have temporarily taken shelter in a thatched hut near a farmland, beside the Gangarajgumma forest. A social activist has given them shelter on his farmland, close to Mathili town.
Similarly, many other inhabitants of Kerameti and Tulasi villages have also left their ancestral land, for they feared for their lives. The district administration does not come to their rescue and no villager has been rehabilitated yet.
Mathili Block Development Officer Ashish Kumar Bhoi said, “We will rehabilitate all six families who have vacated their ancestral land for the fear of Maoists and all governmental facilities will be provided to them.”
