Tears, Maharashtra Onions and Bureaucrats

The real reasons for Maharashtra government and politicians apathy towards starvation deaths of Maharashtra KOLAM tribals are being revealed now like the skins of the Maharashtra Onion. One by one the Maharashtra onion peels are coming off :
PIL ON STARVATION & MALNUTRITION DEATHS OF KOLAM TRIBALS :

STATE GOVERNMENT'S APATHY TOWARDS SOLVING THE BURNING ISSUES OF TRIBALS SURFACED IN JOINT MEETING :
Drinking Water, Health Care & BPL Benefits to Kolam Tribals heldup for want of timely support from Mantralaya :
1. Officials expressed inability due to limitations on their part.

PIL Petitioner to raise all issues of plights of Tribals and lack of support from Government before High Court on 29th March, 2007 Hearing :
NAGPUR, DATED 21st March, Wednesday :

The Joint Meeting organized by the State Government after the Orders of Nagpur Bench of Mumbai High Court in PIL pertaining to most serious issues of Starvation & Malnutrition Deaths of Kolam Tribals in Yavatmal District, has witnessed Government Apathy & lack of timely support from Mantralaya to address the various issues involving Right to Food, Shelter – Gharkul, Health Care, Education, Drinking Water, etc. to be made available to the distressed Tribals family in the Yavatmal District by the Ground Level Administration in solving the issues as the Officials expressed their limitations in speedy implementing the Tribal Schemes for want of budgetary supports and approvals of the State Government.

The meeting was held at Nagpur Yesterday on 20th March, 2007 at Divisional Commissionerate, under the Chairmanship of Amravati Divisional Commissioner Dr. Sudhir Goyal in which PIL Petitioner Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti President Sh. Kishore Tiwari and Counsels Adv. Firdos Mirza, Adv. Vinod Tiwari, Adv. Ajay Somani, Asst. Govt. Pleaders Smt. Bharti Dangre & Sh. Arvind Mujumdar and host of the Government Officials from Yavatmal District including District Collector Dr. Harshwardhan Kamble, Z.P. CEO Dr. Sikar Pardesi, Additional Tribal Commissioner Sh. Hemant Limaye, Dy. Commissioner - Civil Supply Sh. Hemant Pawar, Dy. Commissioner Sh. Jaywant Choudhari, I.D.T.P. Project Officer Sh. S.N.Saidane, Dr. Rathod (District Health Officer), Dy. Director of Health Services of Akola and other Officials of Tribals Development and District Administration attended the emergent meeting organized pursuant to the Orders of Hon'ble High Court which is hearing the PIL filled by Petitioner Sh. Kishore Tiwari in the year 2003, in the wake of untimely, sudden starvation deaths of 52 Kolam Tribals which rocked entire nation in the year 2003.

In the meeting, the Officials submitted detailed reports based upon the Action Taken Report submitted by the State Government in the High Court alongwith the Affidavit on various aspects pertaining to issues of Right to Food, Shelter, Health-Care, Drinking Water, Education of the deprived Tribals in Yavatmal District.

It may be recalled that the report of High Power Committee appointed by the Hon'ble High Court had pointed out serious issues pertaining to Poor Health-Care, Contaminated & Poisonous Drinking Water, poor conditions of Ashram Schools run by Politicians, short coming in BPL Schemes and denial of benefits to the poor & innocent tribals families residing in 710 villages of tribals belts of Yavatmal Districts. Upon perusal of the report and on the request of PIL Petitioner, the High Court had ordered State Government to take immediate steps and submit Action Taken Report on the serious points raised by the High Power Committee headed by the Divisional Commissioner, Amravati in which Top IAS Officials where the Members of the said fact finding committee who all are the part of administration governing the control of various schemes.
But in the joint meeting, officials express their limitations in solving various burning problems of the Tribals inspite of knowing fully well, as they lack in getting timely support from the State Government at Mantralaya even after their repeated efforts.

The joint meeting was shocked to note that many of the villages are forced to drink fluoride contaminated and poisonous drinking water, non availability of Doctors in Tribals area, miserable conditions of shelter and housing, mis-managed Ashram Schools run by the Politicians, non inclusion of illegible families in BPL List due to delay in finalization of BPL list at Mantralaya level, guaranteed employment to the Tribals, etc.

The Petitioners counsel Adv. Firdos Mirza and Adv. Vinod Tiwari raised various short comings in the report and traced to record the same in the Minutes of meeting so that it can be pointed out before the Hon'ble High Court for passing appropriate orders / directions to the State Government in light of urgent needs for protection of deprived Tribal families whose fundamental Rights to Live & Liberty is infringed due to negligence of State Government as the Tribals have been denied Right to Food, Shelter, Health – Care, Drinking Water & Education inspite of the directions from the Hon'ble High Court.

The joint meeting was conducted in a very cordial and non - adversial manner, in which officials expressed their serious concern towards the implementation of various schemes for the Tribals but due to limitations of timely support from Mantralaya, the results expected have not been seen effectively, even after four years of continued efforts of the District Administration. The Petitioner was very critical upon the lack of support from State Government and its apathy towards the burning issues of the Tribals in Yavatmal district for which the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti is fighting continuously since last Seven Years.

As ordered by the Hon'ble High Court, the report of the Joint Meeting alongwith the Minutes will be placed before the Hon'ble High Court on the next date of hearing on 29th March, 2007.