Himachal govt reiterates demand of ST status for Hattees

The Himachal Pradesh government has again raised the decades-old demand of granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Hattee community living in the backward Trans-Giri area of Sirmaur district.
In a fresh proposal sent to the Union Ministry of Tribal Development, the state has urged that ST status be given to the Hattee community of the entire Trans-Giri area and to those who were permanent residents of Dodra-Kwar sub-division of Shimla district and15-20 places in Shimla and Kullu districts.
It has also proposed that theplaces mentioned above be declared as Scheduled Tribe areas.
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said the Centre had been apprised that the Hatteecommunity living in the Trans-Giri area of Sirmaur district and those who were permanent residents of Dodra Kwar sub-division of Shimla district and 15-20 places in Shimla and Kullu districtsshared the same tribal traits and cultureand their primitive traits, distinctive culture, geographical isolation and other features made them eligible to be notified as a tribal community.

Moreover, these areas suffered from economic backwardness where the people lived on a difficult mountainous terrain and as such, they fully deserved to be notified as Scheduled Tribe areas.
He said more than 2.5 lakh people would benefit if these places were declared "scheduled area" and appealed to the Centre for a "favourable and sympathetic" consideration of the proposal.