New Delhi, August 1 (TIWN): The Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch (AARM) expressed concern and grief at the terrible tragedy in the Malin village of Pune District of Maharashtra in which over 200 adivasi men, women and children died, leaving hundreds seriously injured and missing.

A massive landslide following two days of torrential rains at the Malin Basin in June this year killed 41 according to initial estimates while over 150 bodies were later recovered stuffed in mud washed in by the rain water.

The AARM today accused the Government of Maharashtra of being negligent in controlling the disaster-prone situation and said that scientists who studied the region reported that the backflow of water from the Dimbha dam was leading to considerable soil erosion. The Maharashtra Government ignored the reports even though there were landslides almost every year in the area, the organization said in an official communiqué today and demanded an impartial enquiry on the issue before the culprits were put to justice.

Tripura MP and treasurer of the AARM’s national executive committee – Jitendra Chaudhury demanded proper compensation for the affected families and survivors with full rehabilitation or resettlement benefits.

In a sharp jibe at the Maharashtra Government, Chaudhury said that the tragedy was not natural. There are reasons to believe that it was a manmade disaster linked to the policies of the Government, he said

Land development in the adivasi territories using heavy JCP machines  by a corrupt network of builders, leaders and officers used funds meant for development of the adivasi land to line their pockets through the use of these machines, Chaudhury quipped.