Appeal to Raman Singh to suspend Act

NEW DELHI: Environmental groups and individuals have appealed to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh to suspend implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 in the areas where the Salwa Judum movement has forced thousands of tribal people to flee from their villages.
In a letter addressed to Dr. Singh, the environmentalists have pointed out that the plans to implement the Forest Rights Act in Bastar district that is affected by the naxalite activities and the subsequent Salwa Judum would be a “terrible subversion of justice” as it would deprive lakhs of people of their rights.
“We are concerned about the rights of those villagers in Dantewada and Bijapur districts who have been compelled to leave their villages due to the ongoing Salwa Judum campaign against naxalites. The total population of about 1,200 villages in the two districts is 7.19 lakhs, of which 78.5 per cent is tribal. About 50 per cent of these villages, with an approximate population of 3.5 lakhs, is displaced from their villages.
While about 47,000 are living in roadside camps set up by the State government, another 40,000 or so have fled to the forest areas of Andhra Pradesh to escape the ongoing violence between the Salwa Judum and naxalites. The whereabouts of the remaining 2,63,000 villagers from the abandoned villages is unknown, the letter said.
No gram sabha meetings
In at least 644 abandoned villages in the two districts, no gram sabha meetings required under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act for initiating the process of recognition of rights can be organised under present circumstances. At a meeting organised by the Department of Tribal Welfare of Andhra Pradesh, it was decided that the Gutti Koyas who have sought shelter in AP’s forests from the naxal-Salwa Judum violence in Chhattisgarh will not be eligible for recognition of land and forest rights in Andhra Pradesh. However, due to being displaced from their own villages, they will not be able to claim their rights even in their original villages in Chhattisgarh. Their being deprived of rights in both Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh will be a terrible subversion of justice.
In the meantime, no land should be allocated to outsiders and no leases or prospecting licences for minor minerals should be given in these villages as under PESA. These also require Gram Sabha permission, which is not possible under present circumstances. “Consequently, we appeal to you to suspend implementation of the Act in affected areas while facilitating speedy return of the villagers.”
Signatories
Signatories to the letter include Madhu Sarin, Nandini Sundar, Nagaraj Adve, Rohit Jain, C.R.Bijoy, Shankar Gopalakrishnan, Gautam Kumar Bandyopadhyay. Copies of the appeal have been sent to the President, Union Tribal Affairs Minister, and the National Commission on Sheduled Tribes.
Special Correspondent, THE HINDU; Sunday, Mar 23, 2008