Coimbatore: Residents of Kandivazhi, one of the tribal hamlets in Anaikatti hills petitioned the District Collector to probe on the land encroachment in their hamlet last week.
Coimbatore:Residents of Kandivazhi, one of the tribal hamlets in Anaikatti hills petitioned the District Collector to probe on the land encroachment in their hamlet last week.
It is alleged that their land which is part of their settlement and a source for their needs has been encroached by an unknown person. This has left the Irula tribes without any source of income.

The petition also stated that their pathway from the settlement into the forest has been blocked by the encroacher. The residents lamented that the illegal encroachment has also barred their use of the stream which was flowing through, thus cutting off their drinking water supply. "It is not just a resource for us but for animals too. Animals crossing this area used to drink water from the stream but now they cannot,” stated Palani, a representative of the tribals who spoke on the encroachment.
Sources on condition of anonymity say that the land has been encroached freely as it is done by one of persons from the ruling DMK party. However, due to confidentiality, the name of the person encroaching the tribal hamlet has not been included. Ganesh, the social activist from Thadagam Valley demanded that the encroachment be dealt with immediately since it is the corridor of wild elephants and will thus affect the animals in many ways. "The land must be marked as an ecological zone, only then these type of illegal encroachments will stop," he added.
After receiving the petition from the tribals, the District Collector assured of probing and acting on the petition filed on behalf of the 25 tribal families living in the settlement.
It is alleged that their land which is part of their settlement and a source for their needs has been encroached by an unknown person. This has left the Irula tribes without any source of income.
The petition also stated that their pathway from the settlement into the forest has been blocked by the encroacher. The residents lamented that the illegal encroachment has also barred their use of the stream which was flowing through, thus cutting off their drinking water supply. "It is not just a resource for us but for animals too. Animals crossing this area used to drink water from the stream but now they cannot,” stated Palani, a representative of the tribals who spoke on the encroachment.
Sources on condition of anonymity say that the land has been encroached freely as it is done by one of persons from the ruling DMK party. However, due to confidentiality, the name of the person encroaching the tribal hamlet has not been included. Ganesh, the social activist from Thadagam Valley demanded that the encroachment be dealt with immediately since it is the corridor of wild elephants and will thus affect the animals in many ways. "The land must be marked as an ecological zone, only then these type of illegal encroachments will stop," he added.
After receiving the petition from the tribals, the District Collector assured of probing and acting on the petition filed on behalf of the 25 tribal families living in the settlement.