After the successful launch of ‘Chilla’, a market exclusively for selling the produce of tribespeople, the Marayur Sandalwood Division has launched ‘Ila’, a shop selling consumer items to tribespeople.
Set up in the same building which houses the weekly market ‘Chilla’, ‘Ila’ functions on a ‘no profit, no loss’ basis. The ‘Chilla’ market functions every Thursday, but ‘Ila’ is open every day, said Marayur divisional forest officer M.G. Vinodkumar.
During the COVID-19 period, the functioning of the ‘Chilla’ market was disrupted and the tribespeople faced a lot of hardships, prompting the authorities to launch ‘Ila’.
At ‘Chilla’, one can buy vegetables and tubers organically produced by the tribespeople and it has takers even from far away places. It ensured a remunerative price to tribespeople while the buyers get quality produce. A minimum price is fixed at the auction and the officials of the Forest department intervene to buy the produce if a remunerative price is not quoted. Everything produced by the tribespeople, including cattle and chicken, is brought for sale in ‘Chilla’ every Thursday.
Forest watchers
‘Ila’ was started at an amount of ₹10 lakh provided by the Kerala Forest Development Agency. Those bringing produce to ‘Chilla’ can buy items from ‘Ila’ and pay later. The facility is available for the 219 forest watchers employed in the division as well. The watchers do not get paid regularly and they will now get consumer items from here on credit.
A section officer and a woman beat officer are in charge of the ‘Ila’ shop. A Forest department official said that on an average the shop sold goods valued at ₹10,000 daily.
