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Villagers protest against curbs on access to forest resources

Staff Reporter

UP IN ARMS: Villagers residing inside Badrama sanctuary limit taking out a rally demanding better access to forest resources on Monday.

BHUBANESWAR: A group of 500 villagers residing inside the Badrama Wildlife Sanctuary in Sambalpur district took to the streets on Monday demanding better access to natural resources. The inhabitants of remote villages submitted a memorandum to district magistrate L N Nayak describing the painful life they had been leading inside the forest area. "The residents critically depend on collection of various non-timber forest produces (NTFPs) for their sustenance. Restrictions of forest department on collection of NTFPs inside the sanctuary area have led to serious livelihood crisis for villagers ," convenor of Badrama Sanctuary Bikash Parishad (BSBP) Dusmant Kumar Pradhan said. He alleged that the Government welfare programmes, including NREGP had not been extended to these villagers.

Entry fee

"The problems get further complicated when the forest department charge entry fee on villagers. We are branded like a criminals on our own land," Mr. Pradhan said. The BSBP demanded immediate implementation of The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Right Act 2006) that provided greater access to forest resources.

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