This story is from May 11, 2019

In Jhargram hamlet, tribals feel neglected

In Jhargram hamlet, tribals feel neglected
Joram (Jhargram): Back in 1994, a young woman leader had visited a hamlet near Belpahari in West Midnapore and was so moved by the plight of villagers — mostly from Sabar tribe — that she vowed to bring about a change in their life.
Twenty-five years later, while the two-time MP has ascended the chief minister’s chair, little seems to have changed for the villagers, who still complain of a lack of drinking water and two square meals a day and also roads.

TOI visited Joram — a village in the Belpahari’s forest belt about which CM Mamata Banerjee has written extensively in her book ‘Upalabdhi’ — and found the villagers keen to cast their votes but no longer having any expectations from the government. “We will perform our duty and vote. But we know no matter which party comes to power, our fate will not change,” said Lakshmimani Murmu, who forages for kendu and sal leaves in the forest for a living.
Her neighbour, Pramila Sabar, is angry over corruption in the Rs 2-a-kg rice scheme. She accuses the local leadership of hoarding the ration grain and selling it to them at a premium Rs 22 a kg. “The entire family often feeds on plant roots and jungle-grown shak and vegetables,” Sabar said.
In almost every speech in Jangalmahal, Banerjee mentions Joram to highlight the failures of Left rule. Joram is part of Bhulabheda gram panchayat in Binpur and is now run by the ruling Trinamool.
Lack of drinking water and proper roads are other subjects villagers complain about. “The panchayat built a drinking water reservoir 8 years ago but after it malfunctioned in 2013, it was never repaired. We have to fetch water from a well several hundred metres away if the only tubewell breaks down,” said Kalyani Mahato, a resident.

Villagers here still feed on ant eggs, mostly because these are easily available. They have also started selling these eggs to nearby villages and Kolkata, where it is used as fish bait.
The situation is no different in neighbouring villages Chakadoba, Simulpal, Shakhabhanga and Dhangikusum.
The tribal communities have always been a deciding factor in Jhargram’s poll narrative. This year, Banerjee didn’t field sitting MP Uma Soren and chose Birbaha Soren instead. But after a recent spat between Kudmis and Santhals, the going has got tougher for the new Trinamool candidate as the constituency heads to polls on Sunday.
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About the Author
Tamaghna Banerjee

Tamaghna Banerjee, a reporter from Kolkata, covers crime, aviation, human rights and politics. He has a keen interest in human interest and rural reporting. He has done his postgraduation in journalism and mass communication. He has a total of 14 years in journalism.

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