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The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Houses for elephant men, other facilities nearing completion at Kozhikamuthi elephant camp
The construction of houses for mahouts and cavadis (assistants) working for the Forest Department at Kozhikamuthi elephant camp in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) is nearing completion. Works of other facilities for visitors and camp elephants are also in the final stages, according to officials with the Department. A total of 47 Malasar tribesmen from the Kozhikamuthi settlement, who work for the Department as mahouts and cavadis, will get the new houses that are built close to the elephant camp, on the side of the mud road to Varagaliar. An official from ATR said more than 90% of the works had been completed and the remaining works would be expedited. For the visitors, a new gallery area was being constructed at the elephant camp. Visitors would be able to watch feeding of camp elephants and their routine training in the morning from the gallery area. Modifications had also been made for the areas where camp elephants were lined up for feeding in the morning, said the officer. Supriya Sahu, Secretary of Environment, Climate Change and Forests Department, has been monitoring the works through officials at ATR as the project was announced by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in March 2023. The Chief Minister had announced houses for a total of 91 mahouts and cavadis of Kozhikamuthi and Theppakadu elephant camp, which is located in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, at a cost of ₹9.10 crore. Kozhikamuthi elephant camp is currently housing more than 20 elephants and a few of them are often shifted to the nearby Varagaliar camp on a rotation basis. Kozhikamuthi camp is situated in the core area of the tiger reserve, near Top Slip, in Ulandy forest range of ATR.
New Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Kerala: Even six years after getting titles, tribals of Nelliyampathy denied right to pay land tax
NELLIYAMPATHY (PALAKKAD): 'How can a government give us titles and then deny us the right to prove we own the land?' asks Manoharan, his voice trembling with a mix of anger and heartbreak. A member of the Malasar tribe in Nelliyampathy residing in the Bhagavathi Mooppan Tribal Colony, Manoharan is among 127 tribal families caught in a cruel paradox - granted land titles after a 16-year-long struggle, yet they are being denied the basic right to pay tax in their own names. The land ownership titles, or pattayas, were distributed in 2018 to 127 tribal families from the Malasar and Irular communities during a highly publicised government function in Palakkad by the then government. The gesture was seen as a long-overdue acknowledgement of their fight for land, which began in 2002 - a few weeks ahead of the well-known Muthanga land agitation. 'It took 16 long years for the authorities to finally allot one acre each to 127 families,' 52-year-old Manoharan told TNIE. 'Today, 186 families are living on the land, which was once part of the state-run Nelliyampathy Orange Farm. But even now, we can't pay land tax in our names. What kind of ownership is this?' The problem, according to officials, lies in the fact that the allotted land was originally classified as a forest village. The subdivision records necessary to complete the transfer of ownership are still being prepared. As a result, local village offices have refused to process tax payments, citing jurisdictional limitations under the forest department. 'This is not just about land tax. It's about dignity, recognition, and the right to live without fear of eviction,' said V S Prasad, a local political leader who has been supporting the tribal community's demands. 'Without proper documents and recognition, these families remain vulnerable, despite the pattayas in their hands.'
New Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Tribal families in Kerala's Nelliyampathy still denied land tax rights six years after getting pattayas
NELLIYAMPATHY (PALAKKAD): 'How can a government give us titles and then deny us the right to prove we own the land?' asks Manoharan, his voice trembling with a mix of anger and heartbreak. A member of the Malasar tribe in Nelliyampathy residing in the Bhagavathi Mooppan Tribal Colony, Manoharan is among 127 tribal families caught in a cruel paradox - granted land titles after a 16-year-long struggle, yet they are being denied the basic right to pay tax in their own names. The land ownership titles, or pattayas, were distributed in 2018 to 127 tribal families from the Malasar and Irular communities during a highly publicised government function in Palakkad by the then government. The gesture was seen as a long-overdue acknowledgement of their fight for land, which began in 2002 - a few weeks ahead of the well-known Muthanga land agitation. 'It took 16 long years for the authorities to finally allot one acre each to 127 families,' 52-year-old Manoharan told TNIE. 'Today, 186 families are living on the land, which was once part of the state-run Nelliyampathy Orange Farm. But even now, we can't pay land tax in our names. What kind of ownership is this?' The problem, according to officials, lies in the fact that the allotted land was originally classified as a forest village. The subdivision records necessary to complete the transfer of ownership are still being prepared. As a result, local village offices have refused to process tax payments, citing jurisdictional limitations under the forest department. 'This is not just about land tax. It's about dignity, recognition, and the right to live without fear of eviction,' said V S Prasad, a local political leader who has been supporting the tribal community's demands. 'Without proper documents and recognition, these families remain vulnerable, despite the pattayas in their hands.'
