Campaign Responds to Ministry of Tribal Affairs Statement
STATEMENT FROM THE CAMPAIGN FOR SURVIVAL AND DIGNITY
(A national platform of tribal and forest dwellers' organisations from eleven States)
Today,
the Minister of Tribal Affairs chaired a meeting of various State
Ministers on the Forest Rights Act and released a rosy statement on the
Act's implementation
(http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=39861). The reality
is very different. The reality is
that the Tribal Ministry and the Central and State governments are
still trying to undermine this law, even as they are being pressured
into implementing it. The reality is that the Tribal Ministry has
abdicated its responsibilities and turned a blind eye to ongoing
illegalities and crimes. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment
and
Forests is happily sabotaging the law in tiger reserves and other
protected areas.
Consider what is actually happening. In Madhya Pradesh, houses
were burned and families were evicted in three villages in Burhanpur
District on the 7th, 8th and 12th of June. Despite mass protests, till
date the only response from both the MP government and the Ministry is
silence. In Tamil Nadu, on May 26th, Kani adivasis in four villages
in the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve were told they have to
provide free, compulsory labour in putting out fires – or they would be
evicted. In Chhattisgarh, the State government has flagrantly
violated the Act, producing its own illegal forms and trying to twist
the process in the salwa judum affected areas. And these are only the
most glaring illegalities, with the experience in different States
varying widely, based on the pressure from the ground and the political
situation in each State. Updated reports from Campaign constituents
and other organisations can be found at :
http://forestrightsact.awardspace.com
Every
single one of these illegalities is a criminal offence under the Forest
Rights Act. Local organisations are registering cases, staging
demonstrations and fighting for justice. In every case the Ministry
has been informed of what is occurring. Yet, despite the fact that
they are the nodal agency for the Act, the Ministry has done absolutely
nothing. Requests for clarifications from State governments on key
issues were kept pending for five months; some are still pending.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment and Forests is trying to
relocate people from "critical tiger habitats" in tiger reserves – in
direct violation of the law, which requires that their rights be
recognised first. Under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, these areas
have to be identified by a scientific, open case-by-case process with
the consent of the local communities. The Ministry, however,
"identified" them in the space of a few weeks last year. Now, in total
violation of both the Wild Life Act and the Forest Rights Act, forest
officials are threatening residents of these areas and offering a
mirage of "cash compensation" (instead of the rehabilitation required
by law) if they leave now, without their rights. In Sariska in
Rajasthan, Tadoba in Maharashtra, Buxa in West Bengal, and Mudumalai
and Kalakkad Mundanthurai in Tamil Nadu, this has already begun. When
the Kanis challenged the illegal eviction notice in Kalakkad
Mundanthurai, they were further threatened with unspecified "action" if
they did not retract their reply.
The Forest Rights Act is a powerful weapon in the hands of the
forest communities that fought for it, one that they are already
using. But in their struggles they continue to find the Ministry and
the government to be far from the socially committed, law abiding
bodies that Shri Kyndiah claims them to be. The question for the
Ministry, and for the Central and State governments, is simple: Do
they intend to implement the Act in letter and in spirit? Or do they
plan to continue the deceit and sabotage that has marked their attitude
since this law was first drafted?
On behalf of the Convening Collective
Campaign for Survival and Dignity
Contact: 9810819301, http://forestrightsact.awardspace.com, forestcampaign@gmail.com