Hundreds of landless farmers, agricultural workers and
labourers from across 20 States assembled at Jantar Mantar here on
Tuesday under a joint platform ‘Bhumi Adhikar Andolan’ (Land Rights
Movement) and observed December 15 (Forest Rights Day) as ‘Chetavni
Divas’ — day of challenge and warning.
Addressing a
gathering, social activist Medha Patkar said the Forest Rights Act (FRA)
was enacted in 2006, but successive governments have never taken
efforts to implement the Act. “Rather things are moving in opposite
direction. The NDA government has introduced two dangerous moves by
declaring a cut-off date for claiming of rights and also to involve
corporates in plantation activities in degraded forest areas,” said Ms.
Patkar, adding that both these steps were against the rules and
provisions of the FRA and would endanger the rights of communities.
Social
activists who participated in the event pointed out that attempts were
being made to dilute the Environment Law (Amendment) Bill 2015.
“Environment impact assessment and public hearing form the only basis
for communities to participate in the development process and now this
very right is being taken away from them,” said Jarjum, a farmer leader.
Several
other leaders pointed out that Schedule Tribe and other Forest
Dwellers, Recognition of Forest Rights Act, 2006 and the Right to Fair
Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and
Resettlement Act, 2013 which were meant to transfer the rights of
resources back to people have not been implemented. It was important to
note that the comprehensive report of high level committee (HLC) on the
status of Adivasis submitted in 2014 says that the implementation of
these Acts have been weak despite the promising provisions, they said.
“The
NDA government is keen to alter the spirit and basic features of these
Acts. The fate of altered Land Acquisition Act, 2013 is hanging in
legislature and the basic tenets of Forest Rights Act, 2006 are being
diluted through executive orders to avoid being answerable to the people
of the country,” Ms. Patkar said.
The members of the
movement submitted a memorandum to the Centre asking implementation of
Forest Rights Act to ensure collective rights of communities.
Source: The Hindu, 15-Dec-2015
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