Tribals protest against bridge construction at Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border

Tribals launch prolonged protests on Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh border against construction of a bridge. While officials describe bridge as a means of improving commuting between two states in the tribal areas, the local residents say it will lead to further exploitation of their habitation in the absence of any basic amenities created for them till now.

Gadchiroli (Maharashtra): Members of tribal communities of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh are holding protest camps on the inter-state border for the last 14 days against the construction of a bridge across the Indravati river. They argue that the bridge is being constructed without providing any basic facilities in their habitations which they say will eventually lead to the loot of Jal-Jungle-Zameen (water, forest and land).

People from 20-25 villages from Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra are taking part in the protests here. They deplore that there are no basic facilities in their villages even after 75 yrs of independence. Such bridges are only to facilitate the loot of 'Jal-Jungle-Zameen'. Our protests began on Jan 4 and we intend to continue them indefinitely, said Lalsu Nogoti, a tribal leader.

However, the officials are confident of convincing the tribals on the bridge. "As far as I know, it's being built in Chhattisgarh area. With this, the people on Maha-Chhattisgarh border won't face difficulty in commuting. I don't think halting the construction is right. We'll talk to people & emphasise why bridge is important," said Shubham Gupta, Assistant Collector, Etapalli.