Dumka/Jamtara, Dec. 10: Forest and environment minister, Jamuna Singh today distributed water filters to the Pahariyas living on the hills under Digghi and Rajbandh panchayats in Dumka. The Pahariyas have to walk a distance of 10 km to 13 km to get potable water.

This is the first time in the history of Santhal Parganas that a minister has trekked the hills to address the problems of the endangered Pahariya tribe.

However, not everybody was impressed. Local JMM legislator and leader of opposition Stephen Marandi, who was a special guest at the function where Singh too was present, in Uparmurgathali village, 15 km from the district headquarters, said the hilltop hamlets need schemes for all-round development, not gimmicks.

Marandi recalled how a group of journalists from Delhi had asked him to arrange a trip for them in 1981 to remote areas in the region where not a single government official had ever been. “I brought them here. Shocked by the state of affairs, they wrote extensively about it. Only then did the government wake up and take notice,” he said.

Marandi urged the forest minister to find a solution to the conflict between the Pahariyas and the forest department. “Forest officials are hostile towards this primitive tribe, who have a right over the jungal and zamin here. Several Pahariyas are languishing in jail for petty forest offences while the more seasoned criminals go scot-free,” he said.

Villagers said they had formed a committee for deforestation and helped the forest department on several occasions. “We did all we could to protect the forest, but we have nothing for ourselves. Clean drinking water, good roads and medical facilities are non-existent here,” villagers said. Last year 10 people died because of diarrhoea.

Singh, on his part, instructed district forest official (DFO), Dumka, R.K. Sinha, to prepare plans for check dams, ponds and Grade I roads in the area. He said the Uparmurgathali gram sabha would be given special privileges.

According to the government policy, 90 per cent of the income from forest products had to be distributed to gram sabhas for community and forest development. The minister gave the example of said K.K. Chouhan, DFO, Deoghar, who was present with Singh, saying Chouhan was the first DFO in the state to distribute Rs 30.17 crore among six gram sabhas in Deoghar and Jamtara.