Binka: Fed up with lack of basic amenities and development, members of the Sindria community in Jampali village under Binka block of Subarnapur district, have threatened to boycott the upcoming rural polls in their area.
Despite the efforts of the government to effectively target the beneficiaries of various schemes and services, it has not been able to identify and recognise some communities and provide them with their basic rights like caste identity certificates. A score of governmental services and basic amenities have eluded these lesser known castes and communities.
Jampali village is situated in Singhijuba panchayat under Binka block of Subarnapur district. For almost 40 years, 50 families belonging to the Sindria or Jhara community have been living in Kenalpada, Tangarpada and Junglepada villages. Their total population is over 400.
However, even after these long years, they haven’t been given any governmental recognition regarding their caste and community, depriving them of many government services and schemes. They have been living a neglected life devoid of a proper identity.
The mother tongue that these people use is out of the grasp of the local school teachers, due to which the children belonging to this community are suffering from lack of proper education. Shambhu Jhara, Ganga Jhara, Ranjit Jhara, Nirmal Jhara, Chaetu Jhara, Bikash Jhara, Brunda Jhara, Anita Jhara and Nandita Jhara are among more than 30 Sindria children who have dropped out of school after studying up to Class V. A total of only three youths of this community have got the opportunity to attend college.
Family planning scheme of the government has totally lost its way here. Similarly, essential health measure like two-child policy has lost its direction in this community. Women of this community, who have mothered four to five children, have become bed-ridden suffering from a number of health complexities.
The most serious issue here is that the members of this community have been deprived of any government certificate or identity proof of their caste and community. Nobody knows whether they belong to the Scheduled Caste, or the Scheduled Tribe, whether they are members of other backward castes or general category, as the government has not recognised their community officially.
They have been running to the Binka tehsil from Singhijuba RI office, from the tehsil to the District Collectorate for a caste certificate or identity card, but to no avail. On January 18, 2020, Binka tehsildar Alekha Ghuta had reached the Sindria community of Jampali with a solution to their issues. He informed the local community members that in reality the Sindria caste is placed among the Scheduled Castes (SC) in the Odisha. He had advised them to take immediate steps to solve these issues.
Subsequently the community members had deposited their old pattas (record of rights) in the Singhijuba revenue office. But even after one-and-a-half years, the Sindrias have not received their caste certificates.
However, hundreds of Sindria community members living in these three padas of Jampali village have threatened that they will be forced to take to the highway to protest against the apathy of the government and will boycott the upcoming rural polls if they are not provided with caste certificates immediately.
