Andhra, Telangana want Chhattisgarh displaced to return

New Delhi: Even as several areas in Chhattisgarh still remain under the control of Left-wing extremists, the people, who had fled their homes due to Naxal as well as police atrocities and are residing in the nearby remote villages of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, have now been asked by the State governments to return to their homeland.
While the bordering villages where they have settled now lack even the basic amenities such as medical care and education, these people, officially called as Internally Displaced People (IDPs), have not been issued any land rights or domicile certificates even after staying there for years.
“We used to live in the Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh. The police had been accusing us of helping the Naxals whereas the Naxals had been accusing us of being ‘police informers’. The Naxals killed a lot of our people but the police didn’t help us much. Sometimes, Naxals used to stay at our homes and they had to be provided with basic food and water,” Anil, who is currently living in Yerragunta village in Telangana, told ‘The Sunday Guardian’.
“Because of the atrocities, around 200 people from 7-8 villages left their homes and settled down here. We are now working as temporary labourers here. Some of us don’t have Aadhaar or ration cards. We have neither received any help from the government nor from the Forest officials. Although we have been staying here for the last 7 years, we have not been given any land rights and now the (Telangana) government wants us to go back to our State (Chhattisgarh),” he added.
Anil, who had to give up his 5 acre of land because of the atrocities, is now looking for a new village to settle in. His is not the sole story. A student, whose parents had moved from Bijapur in Chhattisgarh to Mulugu in Telangana 20 years ago due to Naxal atrocities, said, “We have been requesting the government to give us caste certificates, but since we have migrated from a different State, we haven’t received it so far.”
“Ten to 15 years ago, caste certificates were issued easily but now, it is difficult. However, some of the students have received their caste certificates. This will help us in further education and employment,” added the youth who is looking for a job. Currently, his family of 8 is living under one roof but never complain about lack of roads or basic facilities.
Complaining about the exploitation they face, he said, “Forest officials occasionally come to collect money. They also demand livestock or chickens. But they never explain why they’re doing so. They blackmail us if we stop paying them. The local people have been uncooperative, and we have yet to obtain government assistance.”
Asked whether the authorities take action against the perpetrators, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) Chairman Harsh Chauhan told this correspondent, “Whenever we see any inaction from the side of the administration, we question the authorities. There have been cases of atrocities, so also rehabilitation. Sometimes, the Forest officials create trouble. We send recommendations, depending on the nature of the cases, to the State government to resolve it.”
However, no particular official reason has been given for asking the IDPs to return to Chhattisgarh. There is currently no information available about the number of these displaced people. Many of them have been helped by local NGOs in getting their ration or Aadhar cards issued. But these cards are not proof of domicile, which still renders them nowhere men.