Ranchi, Feb. 18: Wrong development policies of the government is one of the reasons for the plight of poor tribals in the state, said Alpa Shah, a lecturer in the University of London.

Shah, who has been studying the pattern of life of indigenous people in Kenya and Jharkhand, highligh- ted the issues and problems of the downtrodden in a seminar organised at Asian Development Research Institute.

Shah has spent time in a village near Bero which is regularly attacked by elephants who disturb the ecological balance in the area.

The elephant menace in the village has uprooted the rural folk and has brought terror and despair for them, Shah said. In general, the tribals are always referred to be in harmony with nature, but it is not true all the time, Shah added.

Shah even suggested that the plight of the poor villagers is perhaps because of the wrong policies of the government. The government should listen to the people more than just framing policies on paper.