Published Apr 29, 2026 | 10:29 AM ⚊ Updated Apr 29, 2026 | 10:29 AM
Amrabad Tiger Reserve.
Synopsis: The Chenchu Solidarity Forum expressed concern about a rally in Achampet that claimed there was no forcible relocation of Adivasis from the Amrabad Tiger Reserve. Members of the forum said in a press release that, except for a few people, many at the rally, organised on 27 April, were non-Adivasis.
Chenchu Solidarity Forum (CSF), a collective of citizens and activists, on Tuesday, 28 April, expressed concern about a rally in Achampet in the Nagarkurnool district of Telangana that claimed there was no forcible relocation of Adivasis from the Amrabad Tiger Reserve.
Members of the forum said in a press release that, except for a few people, many at the rally, organised on 27 April, were non-Adivasis (non-Chenchus).
“Some of the authorities and vested interests seem desperate to create a public impression that all Chenchu community people are ‘voluntarily’ giving consent to the relocation for the Amrabad Tiger Reserve in Nagarkurnool district of Telangana,” they said.
The relocation refers to the state government’s plan of shifting four hamlets from the Amrabad Tiger Reserve, aimed at making the core area of the reserve inviolate.
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The Chenchu Solidarity Forum said that the rally was primarily non-adivasi and mostly male-led, and it opposed the demands of numerous chenchu women, men and youth who recently submitted a grievance at Prajavani in Hyderabad and resisted relocation and asserted their forest rights.
“The large group of non-adivasis, in support of relocation, is evidence of the high-handedness with which non-adivasis and those from outside the V-Schedule area have been jeopardising the constitutional rights of the Chenchu PVTGs and making statements on behalf of them that they are ‘eager to relocate voluntarily’,” they said in the press release.
“A few of the Chenchus who spoke in the rally yesterday in support of relocation gave reasons for relocation as lack of even basic facilities like roads, hospitals, and schools, which they hope they will get if relocated. These statements only prove that Chenchus have been deprived of their fundamental rights to basic facilities in the forest for decades and have been made to feel that they can only get basic development if they give consent to relocation outside the forest area,” they added.
The group claimed that the prohibitive measures violate the procedures of consent seeking under the legal safeguards of PESA, FRA, LARR and even the NTCA guidelines.
“The Ministry of Tribal Affairs had issued clear guidelines on relocation procedures where consent cannot be obtained through regressive tactics like preventing communities from having access to their basic development within the forest,” they said.
They said that taking consent without proper Gram Sabha resolutions, “through forgery of signatures, without completing due processes of law under the FRA and LARR”, is not constitutionally valid.
“Chenchus are PVTGs and do not have access to adequate information about their legal entitlements under the above laws and the implications of being relocated outside the Scheduled Area. Because of their particular situation and vulnerability to exploitation, they have been termed as PVTGs, with special rights under the law. We strongly condemn this form of pressure and highly motivated ways of demonstrating ‘voluntary consent’ and promoting the vested interests of non-adivasis, at the cost of PVTG Chenchus and their Scheduled Area protections,” they said.
They called upon the state and Union governments to fully safeguard the legal and constitutional rights of Chenchus, as well as their safety and well-being.
A section of tribals had appealed to the government not to move them out of the reserve. Representatives from hamlets such as Sarlapallypenta, Rayiletipenta and Kommanapenta submitted a representation to Telangana State Planning Board Vice-Chairman G Chinna Reddy and asked the authorities not to evict them.
However, according to the forest department, several families from other hamlets expressed their willingness to move. Residents of Sarlapallypenta, Kudichintalabailu, Kollampenta and Tatigundalapenta have agreed to relocate from the core area. Reports indicate that 96 families across four hamlets are ready to move.
