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M.P. tribals seek full right on forest land

Staff Correspondent

PHOTO: A.M. FARUQUI

FIGHT FOR RIGHT: Tribals from different parts of Madhya Pradesh taking out a rally in Bhopal on Tuesday.

BHOPAL: Jan Sangharsh Morcha took out a procession here on Tuesday to demand restoration of tribals' right on forest land.

A large number of tribals from Betual, Harda, Hoshangabad, Khandwa, Dhar and Badwani districts and representatives from Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Orissa joined the procession, which turned into a rally at the busy Roshanpura Square.

A special calendar was released with the slogan, "Ek aur Jungle Satyagrah -- Nayi Azadi ki Ladai" (One more satyagrah and another freedom struggle).

Talking to The Hindu , the convener of Jan Sangharsh Morcha, Anurag Modi, said: "We want a Tribal Bill but not a loosely drafted Bill in its present form." He said the tribals were not ready to compromise when it came to protecting their rights on forest land. He said the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill, 2005, had recommended that traditional forest dwellers and those who had been forced to settle in forests should be entitled to vesting of rights as proposed in the Bill but a section in the Congress party was opposing these recommendations.

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