Adilabad: Kolam tribal families name hamlet after Collector for housing efforts
In a rare gesture of community recognition, the Kolam tribal families of Dahiguda in Telangana's Adilabad district have named their resettlement colony after District Collector Rajarshi Shah. The settlement, now called 'Rajarshi Shahguda', honours the officer's role in helping the families secure land for housing under the State government's Indiramma scheme.
The Kolam are a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in India. Their hamlet, earlier known as Dahiguda, falls under the Poppaldhari Gram Panchayat in Adilabad district, which borders Maharashtra's Vidarbha region to the north and Marathwada to the west. The district has a predominantly tribal population and a long history of left-wing extremism.
The change of name came after a basic problem was resolved. The families had been allotted houses under the Indiramma housing scheme but had no land to build them. When the residents approached Mr. Shah, a 2017-batch IAS officer, he identified 17 government plots and issued pattas (land titles), enabling construction to begin. Three of the sanctioned houses have since been completed and inaugurated, giving the families homes of their own.
Moved by this intervention and the positive changes it brought to their lives, the tribal families chose to name their hamlet after the Collector. Villagers expressed happiness that basic infrastructure and housing works had gained momentum in the hamlet.
Such community-led tributes are uncommon. In 2020, Thottie tribal families in Chinchughat of Adilabad Rural mandal named their resettlement colony 'Divyaguda' after the then District Collector D. Divya, who had helped them secure land. Even Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf, the Austrian anthropologist renowned for his studies on tribal communities in the erstwhile Adilabad during the 1940s, has only a street named after him at Marlavai village in present-day Kumram Bheem Asifabad district.
During a Gram Sabha organised on the occasion, Mr. Shah interacted with the residents and assured them of further development measures. He announced the sanction of 10 more Indiramma houses in the Pippaldhari Gram Panchayat area. Officials said he also announced the provision of goat and dairy buffalo units to strengthen the economic condition of tribal families, free tailoring machine training for women, and employment opportunities in Adilabad for local degree-educated youth.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Shah said the administration was working to address the basic needs of the Kolam families and improve their living conditions. House sites have been allotted and drinking water supplied. Works related to electricity and roads have been sanctioned and will be completed in a time-bound manner. He added that the administration was proposing to construct the sanctioned Indiramma houses using shear-wall technology, after taking the beneficiaries into confidence.
The Collector also said efforts were being made to improve connectivity and employment opportunities. An additional bus trip has been introduced from the day of the visit. He said unemployed youth with intermediate and degree qualifications have been identified and will be linked with local employment opportunities. The district administration will also consider similar demands from other tribal villages.
