Tribal lands under threat: How non-tribal settlers are changing Andhra Pradesh’s hills

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The lush valleys of Araku, Paderu, and Chintapalli in the Eastern Ghats — where terraced fields glisten in the morning light and tribal farmers begin their day as their ancestors once did — are witnessing a slow but profound change.

The hills that once echoed with the songs and rhythms of Adivasi life now bear the weight of another presence: the quiet influx of non-tribal settlers, traders, and land speculators. The balance that sustained these communities for generations is being disturbed, and the very landscape that nurtured their identity is turning unfamiliar.

These are not just stories of land; they are stories of survival. They speak to the steady erosion of the constitutional promise that once protected India’s tribal hea