By IANS
Bhopal : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday told a large gathering of tribes people in Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua district that they would not be evicted from their forest lands as the government had enacted a law to grant them ownership rights.
The prime minister was addressing a gathering of about 100,000 tribes people in the tribal-dominated Jhabua after laying the foundation stone for two new railway lines linking Gujarat with the backward Dhar and Jhabua. Railway Minister Lalu Prasad was present as were other senior officials.
He urged Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to ensure strict implementation of the Forest Dwellers Act, adding that his government had initiated several programmes for the uplift of farmers and labourers.
The prime minister said that the migration of tribals due to afforestation and lack of employment opportunities in Madhya Pradesh was a matter of grave concern and it would be checked as more people are being employed in construction work.
Lauding the role of the railways, the prime minister said the proposed railway lines would not only hasten economic and industrial growth of the region but also provide job opportunities for the tribals. He urged the railway minister to see that the projects were completed in three years.
The government was also developing roads, airports and other infrastructure, the prime minister said.
Singh arrived in the morning by a special aircraft at Indore from where he went to Jhabua by helicopter. Local parliamentarian Kantilal Bhuria was also present.
The two rail projects are estimated to cost Rs.12.86 billion. While the 200-km-long Dahod-Indore via Jhabua line would cost Rs.6.78 billion, the 152-km-long Chhota Udepur-Dhar line is expected to cost Rs.6.08 billion. Both projects are to be completed in six years.