By IANS
New Delhi : The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Wednesday sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention to notify a law aimed at protecting the rights of tribals over forest land and resources.
In a letter to the prime minister, CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat alleged that the government’s delay in issuing a notification of the Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill 2006 was “inexplicable” as it was passed by both houses of parliament in December last year.
Karat pointed out that a committee for drafting the rules for legislation was formed in March this year and it submitted the draft rules in two months.
“These were put up on the website for public comment on June 19, 2007. The last date decided by the ministry was July 31, 2007. It was expected that the rules would be finalised and the act notified,” Karat said, adding that nothing had been done yet.
He said the announcement of the act without its notification had led to a serious situation for tribals in many areas.
“Forest officials who have been responsible for denial of tribal rights have taken advantage of the delay between the act and its notification to evict tribals from many areas.”
Karat said the land cultivated by tribals for decades was being dug up for plantation by the forest department in some states in “an obvious attempt to pre-empt the recognition of tribal rights on that land. At the same time, there are reports of connivance between the land mafia and officials to take illegal possession of land.
“This is a most untenable situation,” he said.
Karat urged Manmohan Singh to intervene in the matter immediately.
“The delay is inexplicable. I request you to urgently intervene on this issue so as to ensure that an important achievement of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government is not weakened or even subverted by the non-notification of the act,” the communist leader pointed out.
The legislation is meant to protect the rights of India’s tribal people to the forestland they have been living on for generations and to forest resources that have been their traditional means of livelihood.
According to the legislation, the scheduled tribes living in forests and other tribals, who have been dwelling in forests for three generations, will be entitled to have the right to four hectares of land where they can cultivate. They will have access to and ownership of minor forest produce, rights of grazing and access to traditional seasonal resources.