No elections held, govt just appointed
members, say tribals.
The tiger versus tribal fight being played out in the country to the
disadvantage of both is witnessing a new dimension in Karnataka’s tiger
reserves, where tribals are being relocated under the Forest Rights Act.
The tribals complain that in several districts, the forest rights
committees, to be elected in every forest village, are being set up
under government orders without consulting them.
The tribals in Biligiri Ranga Hills (a wildlife sanctuary) had
expressed this concern to Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi
during his recent visit to the state.
For example, in Kodagu district, home to the famous Nagarahole National
Park, which includes a tiger reserve, many tribals were not even aware
that these committees had been set up.
“We will never accept the members. The gram sabhas (village-level
meetings) should have been held by taking us into confidence. Many of
us were not even aware of the committees. We will approach the governor
and seek reconstitution of the committees,” said JP Raju, president,
Budakattu Krishikara Sangha (an organisation of tribes who practise
agriculture).
According to the Scheduled Caste and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers
(Recognition of Rights) Act, 2006, the committees have to be
constituted through gram sabhas (meetings of gram panchayat members,
taluk-level officials of major departments and other elected
representatives).
There is similar situation in Uttara Kannada district, home to another
national park, Anshi. Here, the government converted 22 village forest
committees into forest rights committees (FRCs).
“The FRCs should have a maximum of 15 members, of which one-thirds
should be from the SC/ST communities in forests. The government has not
even informed the tribal communities. How can we expect justice from
these committees when we put forward our claims?” said Nanja Siddu, a
tribal leader from Uttara Kannada district.
“About 4,000 families living in tiger reserves in Karnataka have to be
relocated under the Act. Several families in the Nagarahole tiger
reserve are willing to be relocated. In the Anshi reserve, an estimated
2,000 families have to be relocated. However, relocation should be done
in a fair manner and has to be well-implemented,” said Sanjay Gubbi,
programme manager (policy and outreach), Wildlife Conservation Society.
He said the FRCs might not be empowered enough to address the
forest-related issues on such a large scale. The Act mandates provision
of land within forests to tribes practising agriculture.
Karnataka’s forest cover extends over 43,084 square kilometres, of
which reserve forests account for 29,550 square kilometres. The state
has five tiger reserves, five national parks and 18 wildlife
sanctuaries. The FRCs have to be formed in all these areas.
Wildlife conservationists are also worried that non-tribals could
benefit from this programme. “There is every possibility of the Act
being misused as it allows ‘non-forest dwellers’ to also seek relief
from the government. This clause can be misused by vested interests for
the sake of logging or mining. This clause is not desirable,” said
Gubbi.
Gubbi, who took Rahul Gandhi on a safari during his visit to the
Nagarahole national park, said the FRCs were critical to the survival
of endangered wildlife.
“With population exploding, well-protected wildlife areas are being
reduced to just 1-2 per cent of the country’s landscape. We need
win-win solutions that conserve wildlife as well as provide better
opportunities for tribes like access to education, health, transport
and other basic amenities, rather than just looking at forest
produce-based livelihoods,” Gubbi added.
The officials said in their defence that they were compelled to form
the FRCs at the earliest. “The formation of these committees is a
collective effort of the district administration and major departments.
But who has the time? Officials are treating these as just another
committee,” said a top official in the state forest department.
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