Tribal lands up for grabs: Non-tribals turn Adilabad, KB Asifabad into illegal realty haven

Adilabad: Ethnic tribes have completely been outnumbered following the heavy influx of nontribals from comparatively developed areas to the poverty-ridden tribal belt of Adilabad and Kumram Bheem Asifabad district.

What attracts the former to the mandal headquarters of Ichoda, Gudihatnoor, Indervelli, Utnoor, and Narnoor in Adilabad and Jainoor in KB Asifabad?

The answer is not far to seek. A visit to these places will reveal that it is the ease of making money that attracts nontribals to the hilly areas.

Adilabad's history of tribals

Many of Adilabad's multi-millionaire businessmen and traders belong to these mandals and left for better places in the 1980s after making a fortune by 'looting' the tribals. Many more of their ilk are currently busy making a fortune from the pervasive penury.

"There is enough black money hoarded or invested by the agency realtors that it will take weeks for the Income Tax department to unearth it. This money is also used to influence elections," revealed a tribal leader from Utnoor while commenting on the issue even as he accuses the government of ignoring the cause of the aboriginal people.

While agricultural produce of tribals has been the economy's mainstay in the agency areas, some of the more enterprising nontribals, surprisingly, took up realty for earning a fast buck. No constitutional restrictions governing the agency areas about land transactions and restrictions on the construction of buildings ever stopped them from carrying on with their seeming normal activities.

"The Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Utnoor, the nodal agency for the development of tribals should be renamed as Integrated Non Tribal Development Agency as it has failed to protect our rights," observed the visibly upset tribal leader. He wanted the government to take corrective actions so that illegal real estate business stops in the agency mandals.

Boom in realty

The mandals in question saw a boom in realty in consonance with other urban and semi-urban places in the former undivided district some two decades back. Land prices saw a jump which can be equated with that of lands in areas where regulations available in agency areas do not obtain.

"A house plot measuring 30 ft X 50 ft commands Ra. 60 lakh to Rs. 70 lakh in these mandals," said Sanjay Lahane of Indervelli who has good knowledge about real estate business in the district. "The high price of housing plots or commercial purpose plots are not a deterrent to the purchasers," he added hinting at the availability of black money among a section of nontribals living in the tribal mandals.

Almost all the locations of the housing layouts can be considered prime locations as the towns in question have expanded close to the main road on which these are located. For example, Ichoda and Gudihatnoor towns have grown on either side of the old NH 44, and Indervelli and Jainoor have spread on either side of the Gudihatnoor-Utnoor road and Utnoor-Asifabad road respectively.

The recent violence in Jainoor has brought the illegal real estate business to light alerting authorities in respective mandals. Instances of the administration halting construction activity have been noticed in the places.