Malkangiri: Huge quantities of kendu leaves are collected from Maoist-hit Malkangiri district but the leaf collectors are allegedly deprived of getting the right price. On the other hand, the leaf traders make big bucks.
With elections underway, the leaf pluckers have expressed their anguish, alleging that leaders come to their villages for campaigning but they are hardly concerned about their problems and issues.
Adivasis/Tribals collect kendu leaves from the nearby jungle and sell them to both government and private agencies and earn good money. But the tribals have complained that the private agencies which had purchased kendu leaves from them have not been paying the leaf collectors for the last two years.
Despite non-payment, both private agencies and forest divisions started buying kendu leaves from Monday. The state government earns crores of revenue from kendu leaf. However, the private traders are said to be making more profit than the government.
The tribals, who collect the leaves, bundle and sell them in mandis, are exploited by the private traders by not paying them the right price, the tribals alleged.
The government has directed the sarpanches and panchayats’ executive officers to procure leaves through private agencies. But the agencies recommended by the panchayats are allegedly exploiting the kendu leaf collectors by not paying them the right price.
Such malpractices have been reported from villages such as Barapada, Karlamal, Bailiguda, Arrnabhata, Mutambo, Khajuriguda, Baraputa, Jantapai, Nuaguda, Petaguda, Bardapajana, Ruma, Daliamba and from Swabhiman areas.
Villagers namely Chakra Khili, Rama Hantala, Purna Burudi, Dhania Khara and Hara Khila of these villages alleged that they had sold the kendu leaves to some private agencies. But traders have not paid them their due amount since two years.
Three persons engaged by a private agency have purchased leaves worth lakhs of rupees from these villagers and have not cleared the dues yet. Though the tribals have been complaining about it to the private agencies, they are not heeding their pleas.
The aggrieved tribals said that another private agency has also purchased kendu leaves from Materu, Niliguda, Matapaka, Sikhapalli and Tandapalli villages under Malkangiri and Padia block but has not paid the dues. Any contact with the agency, Anil Agarwal Group, has proved to be futile as it does not answer any phone calls, they added.
When sarpanches of Niliguda and Matapaka were asked about the dues to the villagers, they said the private traders are yet to pay Rs 15 lakhs to Rs 20 lakhs to them (pluckers).
This year the private agencies have submitted tenders to purchase the kendu leaves again. So, the villagers have demanded the administration to ensure payment of dues before awarding the tenders to private agencies. They said the government should bar the private agencies from tendering if they do not clear the dues of the pluckers first.