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March 4, 2011 | Email | Print | 
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2 yrs on, few community claims over forest in State
March 09, 2011 7:04:14 PM
SUDHIR MISHRA | BALANGIR
Even though the Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006 has come into effect two years ago and there have been a large number of forest-dwellers and forest-dependent people, a few Community Claims (CCs) over the forest in Odisha have come to the fore.
The Act envisages two types of rights over the forest, Individual Rights (IRs) and Community Rights (CRs). While the four departments of Panchyati Raj, Forest, Revenue and Tribal Welfare (TW) are involved in its implementation, the TW is the nodal agency.
A total of 47, 359 Forest Rights Committees (FRCs) have been formed in the State and the State-level committee has received 2,135 petitions of CCs out of which 655 titles have been distributed and a total of 51,908 acres of land have been given.
Further examination reveals that, there would be around 79 acres per village which would be very low considering the fact that a Vana Surakhya Samiti (VSS) is given 250 acres of land for protection, pointed out an NGO activist.
According to official sources, 1, 753 FRCs have been formed while out of the 3,641 Individual Claims (ICs) received, a total 833 claims have been settled and a total of 2,124.44 acres have been distributed.
However, not a single CC has been accepted as shown in the web site. In a significant development, the ruralfolks, mostly inhabiting in and around the foothills of Gandhamardan, submitted their claims as a part of the CC at Patnagarh on February 25.
Under this Act, a tribal, residing in the forest till December 13, 2005 and other forest villagers for three generations, are entitled to claim over the forest land.
The NGOs here sensitised the villagers and the youths and educated them about the facilities offered by the FRA, besides imparting training to the volunteers.
After the training, the youths sensitised the villagers and mobilised them.
The village volunteers surveyed the natural resources like river, stream, ponds, wells, Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) and other things available in the villages and thereafter the exclusive Palli Sabhas were organised.
Moreover, the Village Level Forest Rights Committees (VLFRCs) were formed in the villages comprising representation of women, SCs, STs and with a president and secretary.
“We held Palli Sabhas in several villages, including Saan Banjhipalli, Jhalpali, Kurliamaal, Pingalmunda and Phulkimumda and sensitised the villagers about the FRA with due approval of the committee and after the PRI members certified the recommendation, it was decided to refer to the Sub-Divisional Level Committee in Patnagarh,” said Kulamani Sahu of District Forestry Forum in Balangir.
There are at least 50 villages within the 7-km-radius of the Gandhamardan hills out of the total 98 villages in Khaprakhol block. Once the mining starts, the NTFP-collectors, medicinal plants collectors, rich water sources, rich biodiversity, besides the cultural heritage would get damaged.
Out of the 70,112 population in Khaprakhol block, 24,173 are STs and 10,050 are SCs and mostly the Gond, Sarrian, Binjhal and Kondh tribes reside.
Ironically, a cursory look of the individual pattas granted in Khaprakhol block reveals that, only the village forest and not the reserve forest area has been given. Even the VLFRCs were formed arbitrarily in the block without the knowledge of the forest-dwellers, it is alleged. “The VLFRCs formed in the villages should also have two sub-committees on biodiversity conservation and wildlife conservation duly which are hardly found,” confided RCDC regional manager Amar Gouda.
In Kalahandi, the District Level Committee (DLC) on FRA has given 7,154 ICs and 132 CCs. In case of ICs, people are getting mostly the revenue lands categorised as forest, village forest and the quantum of land given is not according to the claimed quantity.
“If a household claimed four acres, it is given entitlement over one acre or even less than that,” alleged DilipDas of Antodoya Kalahandi.
In case of CCs, the district committee has fixed some amount of land according to the number of households in the village and invariably, the villagers have been given the same quantity of land with similar number of households. For example, if there are 100 households in a village, the DLC has given 95-100 acres of land under the FRA, Das alleged further.
The Panchayats should be provided the topo-sheet, forest working plans, cadastal map and other necessary documents so that people could know the real position and can make their submissions and claims. Even though 74 CCs in Balangir district have demanded 61,572.1 acres of land in different blocks of the district, it has not been reflected in the official website, informed Gouda.
The forest department should educate and sensitise people rather than forming simply the FRC arbitrarily even without their knowledge, he opined.
The Government, not expediting the CCs and rather giving stress on the ICs has some hidden agenda to carry out mining and other activities in future, pointed out an NGO activist.
| Back 2 yrs on, few community claims over forest in State
March 09, 2011 7:04:14 PM
SUDHIR MISHRA | BALANGIR
Even though the Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006 has come into effect two years ago and there have been a large number of forest-dwellers and forest-dependent people, a few Community Claims (CCs) over the forest in Odisha have come to the fore.
The Act envisages two types of rights over the forest, Individual Rights (IRs) and Community Rights (CRs). While the four departments of Panchyati Raj, Forest, Revenue and Tribal Welfare (TW) are involved in its implementation, the TW is the nodal agency.
A total of 47, 359 Forest Rights Committees (FRCs) have been formed in the State and the State-level committee has received 2,135 petitions of CCs out of which 655 titles have been distributed and a total of 51,908 acres of land have been given.
Further examination reveals that, there would be around 79 acres per village which would be very low considering the fact that a Vana Surakhya Samiti (VSS) is given 250 acres of land for protection, pointed out an NGO activist.
According to official sources, 1, 753 FRCs have been formed while out of the 3,641 Individual Claims (ICs) received, a total 833 claims have been settled and a total of 2,124.44 acres have been distributed.
However, not a single CC has been accepted as shown in the web site. In a significant development, the ruralfolks, mostly inhabiting in and around the foothills of Gandhamardan, submitted their claims as a part of the CC at Patnagarh on February 25.
Under this Act, a tribal, residing in the forest till December 13, 2005 and other forest villagers for three generations, are entitled to claim over the forest land.
The NGOs here sensitised the villagers and the youths and educated them about the facilities offered by the FRA, besides imparting training to the volunteers.
After the training, the youths sensitised the villagers and mobilised them.
The village volunteers surveyed the natural resources like river, stream, ponds, wells, Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) and other things available in the villages and thereafter the exclusive Palli Sabhas were organised.
Moreover, the Village Level Forest Rights Committees (VLFRCs) were formed in the villages comprising representation of women, SCs, STs and with a president and secretary.
“We held Palli Sabhas in several villages, including Saan Banjhipalli, Jhalpali, Kurliamaal, Pingalmunda and Phulkimumda and sensitised the villagers about the FRA with due approval of the committee and after the PRI members certified the recommendation, it was decided to refer to the Sub-Divisional Level Committee in Patnagarh,” said Kulamani Sahu of District Forestry Forum in Balangir.
There are at least 50 villages within the 7-km-radius of the Gandhamardan hills out of the total 98 villages in Khaprakhol block. Once the mining starts, the NTFP-collectors, medicinal plants collectors, rich water sources, rich biodiversity, besides the cultural heritage would get damaged.
Out of the 70,112 population in Khaprakhol block, 24,173 are STs and 10,050 are SCs and mostly the Gond, Sarrian, Binjhal and Kondh tribes reside.
Ironically, a cursory look of the individual pattas granted in Khaprakhol block reveals that, only the village forest and not the reserve forest area has been given. Even the VLFRCs were formed arbitrarily in the block without the knowledge of the forest-dwellers, it is alleged. “The VLFRCs formed in the villages should also have two sub-committees on biodiversity conservation and wildlife conservation duly which are hardly found,” confided RCDC regional manager Amar Gouda.
In Kalahandi, the District Level Committee (DLC) on FRA has given 7,154 ICs and 132 CCs. In case of ICs, people are getting mostly the revenue lands categorised as forest, village forest and the quantum of land given is not according to the claimed quantity.
“If a household claimed four acres, it is given entitlement over one acre or even less than that,” alleged DilipDas of Antodoya Kalahandi.
In case of CCs, the district committee has fixed some amount of land according to the number of households in the village and invariably, the villagers have been given the same quantity of land with similar number of households. For example, if there are 100 households in a village, the DLC has given 95-100 acres of land under the FRA, Das alleged further.
The Panchayats should be provided the topo-sheet, forest working plans, cadastal map and other necessary documents so that people could know the real position and can make their submissions and claims. Even though 74 CCs in Balangir district have demanded 61,572.1 acres of land in different blocks of the district, it has not been reflected in the official website, informed Gouda.
The forest department should educate and sensitise people rather than forming simply the FRC arbitrarily even without their knowledge, he opined.
The Government, not expediting the CCs and rather giving stress on the ICs has some hidden agenda to carry out mining and other activities in future, pointed out an NGO activist.
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