Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
Notice (8): Undefined variable: urlPrefix [APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp, line 8]latest-news-updates/state-centre-spar-over-tribal-land-claims-by-anupam-chakravartty-5383.html"/> LATEST NEWS UPDATES | State, Centre spar over tribal land claims by Anupam Chakravartty | Im4change.org
Resource centre on India's rural distress
 
 

State, Centre spar over tribal land claims by Anupam Chakravartty


A war of words has broken out between the state government on the one hand and Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) on the other over processing land ownership claims of tribals as per provisions of the Forests Rights Act, 2006.

In a report, a committee comprising officials from the two union ministries said lower-rung officials in the state have no clear understanding of the Act, which is leading to rejection of a large number of claims on tribal land in Gujarat.

But the state forest department said the committee relied more on local opposition than on “neutral technological advances” such as satellite imagery that the Gujarat government employs to determine such claims.

Ravi Chellam, a committee member, said the observations were submitted to the Centre on January 3, 2011. “Observations were made after field visits by our team, which held meetings with officials, political groups, NGOs and adivasi groups. Some of the observations are included in the comprehensive report on the FRA implementation across the country,” Chellam said.

S K Nanda, principal secretary in the state’s forest and environment department, said, “Many such claims were found to be illegal. So, we used satellite imagery to process ownership claims and allocate land.”

The report reserves a paragraph on the use of satellite imagery, which it says faces widespread opposition in adivasi-dominated areas of the state. “Due to unclear language in state government circulars, it is widely misunderstood that such imagery is to be used as conclusive evidence for acceptance or rejection of a claim. Several district and sub-divisional officials told the committee that this was their understanding. This appears to be one reason for the high rate of rejections in the state,” says the report.