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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Lip service to land rights act by Suman K Shrivastava

Lip service to land rights act by Suman K Shrivastava

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published Published on Aug 21, 2010   modified Modified on Aug 21, 2010

Jharkhand’s implementation of the Centre’s flagship scheme to grant land rights to forest dwellers has been extremely poor, ringing hollow promises by successive governments to uphold rights of over three lakh tribals of the state.

According to a report prepared by a 19-member committee constituted by the Union ministry of environment and forests, 24 districts of Jharkhand had granted land rights to a mere 7,207 forest dwellers under Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act executed in mid-2008.

“It is a surprisingly low figure, and raises a serious question over the way the act was being implemented in Jharkhand, which has a large forest area and a very large tribal and non-tribal forest-dependent population,” the report pointed out.

Significantly, the claims for the land rights too have been poor, roughly around 30,000 though the population of the forest dwellers, according to a rough estimate, could be over three to four lakh.

“Ironically, the number of claim petitions rejected has been as high as 11,054. Overall, the forest rights act’s implementation does not appear to be a priority of the state,” the report said.

The committee, headed by former bureaucrat and member of National Advisory Council N.C. Saxena and constituted in April, was asked to study the implementation of the Act, including factors that were aiding or impeding its execution throughout the country.

Four members of the committee, Sharach Chandra Lele, a Bangalore-based environmentalist; Vasavi Kiro, a member of National Alliance for Women, Jharkhand; Roma, a UP-based activist; and Ramdhanlal Meena, a retired IAS officer had visited Jharkhand from July 15 to July 19. Their field visits covered villages in Khunti, Bokaro and Dumka.

The committee was supposed to recommend necessary policy changes in future management of the forestry sector which may be necessary as a consequence of implementation of the forest rights act. It has also been asked to define a new role for the forest department vis-a-vis gram sabhas for forest conservation and regeneration.

“Though the report on Jharkhand is complete, a final version will be submitted to the ministry in October,” Vasavi Kiro told The Telegraph.


The Telegraph, 21 August, 2010, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100821/jsp/frontpage/story_12836675.jsp


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