Nadappa village
A patch of land near the Nadappa village comprised 50 tribal families at one point. Now, there are 13 worried families who have put up their huts and are living there amidst several non-tribal hamlets close by. There is constant fear among them. They say it is not easy for them to ask for help when something goes wrong. "We have our land now but we still need to get drinking water from the Labhan hamlet nearby. That causes a lot of tension. We need our own handpump urgently. There is also tension at night, when the Labhan men shout taunts. It is very scary at times,' says Kamlabai Devrao Atram. The families also say the non-tribal are a suspicious lot and keep track of their activities. "They are a lot less aggressive than what they used to be but their presence is a threat that the tribal families cannot ignore,' says Paromita Goswami, who is fighting for the tribal rights. Despite the threat and insecurity, the 13 families have chosen to stay on instead of giving up their hard-earned land rights.