Mangaluru: Three decades after moving to the Dakshina Kannada district in search of jobs, these people don’t even have a proper house nor are they getting any government facilities.

This is the sorry state of over 20 families belonging to the Shillekyatha tribal (a nomadic tribe) community, who migrated here in the hopes of finding jobs. The main occupation of this tribe is fishing and they currently live in tents.

The children managed to gain entry into government schools with the efforts of some local organisations. However, the major issues of these families are yet to be addressed.

Secretary of the Karavali Alemari Vruthiniratha Shillekyatha Hakkugala Samithi Venkatesh says that till last year, they did not know how to approach the government to avail basic facilities. There are seven camps located in Kannur Adyar, Jeppinamogaru, Mulihithlu, Bolara, Thokur, Bangra Kulur, and Thannirbavi, where over 300 people of this community live in tents. They do not have basic facilities such as electricity supply, drinking water, toilet and road connectivity.

Even after 30 years of living in the Dakshina Kannada district, these families that moved from Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga and other surrounding areas were not able to obtain any government facilities. Venkatesh is hopeful of receiving help from the social welfare department.

The families depend on fishing for their survival. However, the members of these family say that they often get assaulted by other fishermen and locals, wherever they live.

Venkatesh says that even though several complaints have already been filed in this regard with the police department and district administration, the situation has not been improved. These families neither have health cards nor do they have any form of identification to avail government benefits.