The Hakki-Pikki and Shillekyata tribal communities residing at Angadihalli in Belur taluk are witnessing some development works in their village, more than half a century after they settled down there.
Since the early 1960s, the time when these migrating communities found a permanent place to stay put, the village has not seen good roads.
When this reporter visited Angadihalli on Tuesday, the residents remarked that remembering the great poet Valmiki by celebrating his birth anniversary would not serve any purpose, unless the tribal people, whom the poet represented, are provided with basic amenities to lead a decent life.
The State government is celebrating Valmiki Jayanti on Wednesday.
The village of 1,000 households has 1,250 Hakki-Pikkis and around 750 Shillekyatas. For ages, they have been dependant on forest produces for their livelihood. Several of them have travelled abroad to sell medicines that they prepared using medicinal plants found in forests.
“For about 21 years, our ancestors lived on the banks of a tank near the village with no proper shelter. Nobody bothered about us. Only in early 1960s, when Y. Roupla Naik of a tribal community came to Hassan as the Deputy Commissioner, we were shown this place to stay put. Over the years, the settlement was recognised as a revenue village,” recalled Hooraja, a prominent leader of Karnataka Aranya Moola Nivasigagala Horata Samiti and a resident of Angadihalli.
Last year, following protests by the residents for basic amenities, officers of the district administration visited the village. The Social Welfare Department worked out a proposal of Rs. 3 crore for the overall development of the village. Now the work to lay roads has begun after the Directorate of Scheduled Tribes gave attention to absence of basic amenities.
The Social Welfare Department’s proposal included improving roads, drainage system worth Rs. 60 lakh, subsidy to those interested to take up self-employment, toilets, a community hall and training programmes for educated youth. The work on a community hall at a cost of Rs. 10 lakh has begun. The Directorate of Scheduled Tribes had sanctioned Rs. 15 lakh for roads. “The pace of the work is not up to the mark as the contractor is finding it difficult to procure sand,” Mr. Hooraja said.
The Social Welfare Department has set an Ashrama School at Hagare village, about a kilometre from Angadihalli. “The school has got a building, but no staff. Parents are worried that their children are not getting quality education,” he pointed out.
