Around 250 families of Koraga community, the only Particularly Vulnerable Tribal (PVT) community living in Pavoor village of Vorkady panchayat and Udyavaru and Kunjathur in Manjewaram panchayat of Kasaragod district, are yet to receive title deeds.
This is despite the recent distribution of 589 title deeds by the State government in the district.
The tribespeople, many of whom have converted to Christianity, claim that in 1913, the Madras Presidency had granted 308 acres to Fr. Alexander Comisa to be handed over to the Koraga community and other deprived groups.
The land is now spread across Manjeswaram and Vorkady panchayats.
However, members of the community are unable to claim ownership of the land, with the Holy Cross Church under the Mangalore diocese claiming that the land belonged to the church.
Fr. Varghese of Holy Cross Church said that the documents proved that the land was meant for the welfare of tribespeople and other backward groups. The land was now in the name of the Bishop, the head of the Mangalore diocese.
“We have taken up the matter with the Mangalore diocese, and a committee has been formed to address the issue and to grant patta to the tribespeople who are in possession of the land,” Fr. Varghese said.
However, the community members alleged that no steps had been taken by either the church or the government authorities to address the issue.
Robert Pera, a member of the Koraga community, living in Pavur colony, said whenever the community raised the issue, the church was quick to claim its rights over the land.
The panchayat and village offices too have refused to provide information regarding the land. Though the church had been paying land tax in Udyavaru and Kunjathur villages, the village officers had stopped collecting it after the issue came to the fore, Mr. Pera claimed. However Vorkady village office continues to collect taxes, he said.
Stephen Varada, another tribesperson, said since the church claimed right over the land, it was constructing buildings, which should rightfully be given to tribespeople.
“After a protest was launched, the church authorities threatened tribespeople saying that they would lose the land as it belonged to the diocese,” Mr. Varada alleged.
The authorities have not taken the matter seriously, and, as a result, outsiders too have started encroaching upon the land, he said.
For the record, several tribespeople had constructed houses using funds provided under the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups Project of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
Similarly, other funds for the uplift of the community under the Scheduled Tribes Development Department are also being utilised.
However, in the absence of title deeds, the community members are unable to avail of benefits such as construction of houses under the LIFE Mission project.
When contacted, the panchayat secretaries of Vorkady and Manjeswaram said they were unaware of such a tribal community.
Tribal Extension Officer T. Madhu said officials had discussed the issue with the church, and that they wanted to amicably resolve it.
Sreeram Koyyon, president of Adivasi Dalit Munnetta Samiti, said that the failure of the government to address the issue amounted to injustice.
He said that even if the church owned the land, it could keep over 50 acres in its possession. How can the Mangalore diocese lay claim over the land that was given to the tribal community, he asked.
