Malkangiri: The Centre and the state government have launched a host of schemes for the development of the primitive Bonda tribals in Bondaghat under Khairaput block of this district, a report said.
However, the tribe continues to live a life of drudgery and deprivation. The Bondas are a unique tribal community who live in isolated hill regions of Malakangiri district.
Reports said the tribals are especially known for their unique types of attires, food habits, habitats and traditional living. Tourists from within and outside of the country visit them to click their photographs and earn lakhs from it. Realizing this, the state government has banned foreign tourists from clicking photographs of Bondas without permission.
The Bonda population has sharply declined. To arrest the fall in their number, the Centre and the state government have taken a host of measures to bring them into the mainstreams. The government is providing them with good roads, healthcare facilities, drinking water, power and education facilities. Realizing the population and cultural decline, the state government has formed the Bonda Development Agency (BDA) in 1977.
Various non-governmental outfits, tribal development agencies and voluntary outfits are working for their uplift. However, their problem is far from being resolved as they continue to fall prey to unscrupulous labour agents from Andhra Pradesh. These agents lure them to work in various units in the neighbouring state where they are invariably exploited.
The matter came to the fore after Bonda girls Sangeeta Kirsani, Nandini Kirsani, Muskan Kirsani, Padmini Kirsani and Shanti Batri of Badbel village under Andrhal panchayat of Bonda hill narrated their ordeal before social activist Duryodhan Patra when he visited the village. Patra has filed a complaint in this regard before the district legal services authority which has been registered for a hearing.
Sangeeta and Nandini were students of Plus II first year in Gobindpalli College while Muskan, Padmini and Shanti were studying in Khairaput, Pangam and Kadamguda high schools respectively.
They are now living in their villages as their schools and colleges have remained shut for Covid. Students have online classes. However, they are unable to attend such classes due to lack of internet facilities in their villages.
This is not an isolated case as students living in over 30 villages in Bondaghat are unable to attend their online classes and whiling away their time due to lack of internet facilities in their villages.
Aware of the situation, the labour agents from Andhra Pradesh visit the villages and lure the gullible tribals with money to send their wards with them to work in their state.
The labour agents reach the villages of Bondaghat passing via Ankadeli and Lamtaput in Koraput district. They pay some money to the parents of the young labourers as advance and traffic the boys and girls as young as 13 years to Andhra.
The agents prepare fake Aadhaar cards of these youths before trafficking them to Andhra Pradesh. According to the tribals, many of the trafficked youths have died while working there. Still many of them have managed to come back after falling ill and died due to lack of treatment facilities.
Over 2000 youths and children have been trafficked to Andhra Pradesh and are engaged in various hazardous units. Recently, the sisters of Padma Sisha and Shanti Batri died after returning from Andhra Pradesh. Their fathers died soon after.
In the absence of livelihood opportunities, Shanti also left for Andhra Pradesh where she found several Bonda girls of her area engaged in immoral activities. She came back and now lives in her village with hardship.
According to Soma Kirshani of Badbel and Manda Barti of Andrahal village, a majority of the girls are engaged in prawn processing units where they come in contact with toxic chemicals.
The tribals said the claim that students in 30 Bonda villages receive online education and teachers personally visit these villages to teach them is false. This correspondent tried to contact Malkangiri Collector over phone but failed to get his response as his phone was not connected.
Madan Mohan Paika, district labour officer (DLO), said he is yet to receive any complaint regarding trafficking of the Bonda youths to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
Narayan Das, district child protection officer (DCPO) replied in the same vein but assured to conduct a probe and take action on receipt of any complaint.
PNN
