Tripura: TIPRA Motha demands immediate action on land demarcation

A group of tribal persons associated with the opposition TIPRA Motha Party organized a blockade on National Highway 8 at Mungiakami in Khowai district.

The protest, which lasted for about five hours on Monday, was motivated by the demand for early demarcation of plots handed over to beneficiaries under the Forest Rights Act.

Led by Mungiakami block president Mahendra Debbarma of TIPRA Motha, the tribal group also demanded the government to increase security for local villagers who face frequent wild elephant attacks.

Addressing the media, Mahendra Debbarma stressed the seriousness of the issue, citing about 26-27 wild elephant attacks last year.

Many of these incidents were not recorded, he claimed, because they occurred in areas like rubber plantations and paddy fields.

Mahendra Debbarma emphasized that many tribal people in the area who have traditional connections to the forests have not yet had their designated plots officially marked by the forest authorities. The road jam, which started at 9 am, continued till 1.45 pm.

The party’s decision to block the national highway is aimed at drawing attention towards the growing man-animal conflict and the unresolved status of land demarcation under the Forest Rights Act, posing challenges to tribal communities doing jhum or shifting cultivation for survival. Are being born.