Near the Keezhpally Kakkavu Bridge, a 48-hour satyagraha by tribal organizations demanding protection of life and property of families living in the tribal rehabilitation area of Aralam Farm began on Wednesday.
Aralam grama panchayat president V. Shobha launched a protest demanding immediate action by the Tribal Resettlement and Development Mission (TRDM) to address the long-standing security problems faced by residents in the rehabilitation settlement.
Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha convener M. Geethanandan presided. President of Adivasi Dalit Munneta Samiti Sreeraman Koyyon spoke.
Inaugurating the protest, Ms. Shobha said it was discriminatory that even after two decades of starting the tribal rehabilitation program at Aralam Farm, adequate protection of life and property of tribal families was not ensured.
The protesters alleged that 16 lives had been lost in wild elephant attacks in the resettlement area over the past two decades and accused the district administration of shirking responsibility for the deaths. They said no action was taken against the officials despite what they called repeated misconduct.
Mr. Koyyon alleged that in the last 10 years, the state government has prioritized revoking land titles abandoned by tribal families who fled the area due to recurring attacks by wild elephants and granting title deeds to encroachers instead of implementing welfare measures for the tribal community.
He also claimed that electric fencing, which had worked effectively during the initial phase of the rehabilitation programme, was later dismantled with the knowledge of the city administration.
According to the protesters, though the government sanctioned ₹58 crore for the construction of elephant-proof walls, work on the project was progressing at a slow pace and only a small number of workers were engaged for the purpose.
The protesters made several demands, including permanent employment for the deceased’s dependents, monthly financial assistance until employment is secured, government support for children’s education, appointment of additional workers to speed up the construction of an elephant-proof wall, handing over supervision of the electric fence installed by TRDM’s Agency for Non-Conventional Energy and Rural Technology, allocation of funds to TRDM for rapid clearance of forest areas around the settlement, and strengthening of forest areas around the elephants.
Although many of these demands were accepted in principle, the organizations claimed that no concrete action followed, leading to the launch of the satyagraha.
They warned that if the assurances given by the authorities were not met, they would approach the court seeking legal action over the death and intensify their agitation with a prolonged strike.
Published – 11 March 2026 21:38 IST
