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Government allows Kheri tribals to collect forest produce by Ashish Tripathi

In a major victory for tribals of Lakhimpur Kheri living in 46 villages in and around the Dudhwa forest range, the state government has allowed them to collect forest produce required for their survival. It has also approved in principle the proposal to convert two forest villages -- Surma and Golbojhi situated in Dudhwa range into revenue villages. 

The tribals were fighting to get right on the forest produce since long, as it is their only source of livelihood. But, the forest department did not allow them access to the forest on the grounds that human activity in reserve forests will destroy the natural habitat. 

Though the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 has provision to grant community and individual ownership titles of forest land to tribals, the Act is still in the implementation stage in UP, hence tribals were not getting their due. 

Last month, Tharu tribals of Kheri announced to confront the forest official over the issue of access to forest. TOI had highlighted the matter. The chief minister's office took note of the report and directed the district administration of Lakhimpur Kheri to help the tribals. 

As a result, not only the tribals got permission to enter the forest but the district magistrate and the district police chief deployed senior officials to ensure that nobody creates any hurdle in the process. The decision has benefited over 500 families of tribals and forest workers living in 46 villages situated in and around Dudhwa national park and forest. 

"This is a major victory of tribals and forest dwellers who have been struggling for their rights since long," said Ram Chandra Rana, a Tharu tribal leader from Surma village and member of the state monitoring committee formed to supervise implementation of the Forests Rights Act (FRA) 2006. He thanked the state government for resolving the matter. 

Rajnish, a member of National Forum for Forest People and Forest Workers, who is working with tribals in Kheri, said, "We have come to know that the process to convert two Tharu tribal villages in Dudhwa into revenue village has also been expedited by the state government." The conversion, he said, will provide tribals benefits of various welfare schemes of the state government related to education and health care. 

He also said that the FRA covers both revenue and forest villages. The FRA is a special law, he said, which overrides all other forest laws, hence no other Act or order can deny rights granted to the tribals. "Now our request to the government is to check forest department from creating hurdles in distribution of land titles to the tribals," he said.