Tribals Press For ITDA Meet In Parvathipuram Manyam

Visakhapatnam: The Parvathipuram Manyam district, carved out of Vizianagaram on April 4, 2022 with its headquarters in Parvathipuram town, has not been able to host its first ITDA governing body meeting.

The last such meeting for the region, the 74th, was held in the erstwhile Vizianagaram district on December 24, 2021.

The Integrated Tribal Development Agency plays a crucial role in ensuring that basic amenities and fair crop prices are made available to tribal communities. Yet, many villages in the Manyam region continue to lack access to education, healthcare and roads. Doli journeys remain a harsh reality in remote areas, in the absence of roads and vehicular traffic.

Tribal activists as also CPIM leader Kolli Sambamurthy say neither ITDA officials nor local political representatives took an interest convening the governing body meeting post-bifurcation. It is alleged that successive governments, led by the YSRC and the Telugu Desam, have neglected the tribals’ cause.

“Even with three tribal welfare ministers serving in the Parvathipuram ITDA area, we haven’t been able to hold a single governing body meeting,” said Imaraka Rama Rao, leader of the Andhra Pradesh Girijana Sangham. He also alleged that ITDA funds were being diverted to other programmes run from the district collector’s office.

Rama Rao criticised leaders who fought for tribal rights when they were in the opposition but have failed to deliver on their promises after assuming power now. He cited the disparity in crop prices.

While cashew nuts fetch up to `200 per kg in Srikakulam, middlemen in Manyam offer tribals only `95 per kg. With over 65,000 acres of cashew orchards spread across eight mandals, Sambamurthy said the cashew revival scheme has not been fully implemented in the region. This, he said, was an injustice to the tribal population.

Since the district’s formation, two collectors and three ITDA project officers have taken charge. “These officials left our issues unaddressed,” tribal leaders said.

They urged collector Prabhakar Reddy and ITDA PO and joint collector Yaswanth Reddy to immediately convene the governing body meeting and ensure proper allocation and utilization of tribal welfare funds.

Contacted by Deccan Chronicle, Yaswanth Reddy responded, “I have recently taken charge. I will check why the ITDA meeting has not been held for so many years.”