Tribals, fishermen want political voice

The tribal and fishermen communities in Orissa have urged different political parties to include their long-standing demands in the party manifestos being prepared for the coming elections.

Orissa Adivasi Manch, a state-level organisation of the tribal people and East Coast Fisheries People Forum (ECFPF), a national federation of the fishermen from West Bengal to Tamil Nadu have submitted their grievances to the mainstream political parties as well as the regional outfits of some states including Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Orissa.

According to the 2001 Census, the tribal population in Orissa was 81.45 lakh which comprised 22.13 per cent of the state’s total population. Following the delimitation process, the number of Assembly seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes in Orissa has been reduced from 34 in the last elections to 32 at present out of the total of 147 seats in the state.

The fishermen population in the state is around 10 lakh out of which 3.5 lakh depend on the marine fishing sector while the rest depend on the inland fisheries sector.  

The Orissa Adivasi Manch has urged the political parties to provide assurance to the people on total implementation of the Panchayat Raj Extension Scheduled Area (PESA) Act and transfer of powers to gram panchayats to facilitate tribal self rule. They have also demanded the implementation of the Forest Rights Act in letter and spirit. “We won’t hesitate to support any political party in the elections if it is ready to solve our grievances”, said Ido Mandal, convener of the Manch. The other demands of the tribal organisation include enforcement of legislation to restore the tribal land from the clutches of non-tribal people particularly in the scheduled areas and establishment of Panchayat adalats for speedy delivery of justice.

The ECFPF has asked for enactment of the law to provide rights to the fishermen over maritime resources similar to forest rights given to the tribals. The organisation has also sought protection of sea water from environmental pollution.

Similarly it has demanded non-implementation of measures which prevent the traditional fishermen to pursue their occupation, maintenance of strict vigil in the east coast to prevent the entry of foreign fishing vessels and replacement of the Coastal Zone Management (CZM) with the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ).

Besides, the fishermen would also seek written assurances from the candidates to fight for their issues if they are party is voted to power, said Jacob Thundyl, convener, ECFPF.