Whose Land Is It Anyway?
Chhattisgarh plans to win over Abujhmarh's tribal population with habitation rights over land and break the Maoist stranglehold in the region.
The Bhupesh Baghel government in Chhattisgarh is taking the battle against the Maoists right into the heart of rebel territory. Not better guns or intelligence gathering, the weapon of choice this time is a clause in the forest rights law that authorities hope will help win over the tribal people of the region.
The initiative is being put to test in Abujhmarh, in the Orchha tehsil of Narayanpur district. The 3,905 sq. km hilly terrain of teak and sal forests is predominantly inhabited by the Abujhmarias. Dandami Maria and Gond are among the other tribes. The only way to get about in these parts is to walk. Abujhmarh is
