Kerala - Kollam   

Forest Rights Committees to be elected on August 3

KOLLAM: The statutory Forest Rights Committees (FRC) at the grama panchayat ward-level in Kollam district will be elected on August 3.

The committees are being constituted under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights Act) 2006. The notification in this connection has been issued by District Collector A. Shajahan.

The Act is aimed at granting ownership of up to four hectares of forest land to each family in traditional forest dwelling communities. The beneficiaries will be those who have occupied forest land for at least three generations as on December 13, 2005. Claims under the Act will have to be presented to the FRC.

Each committee in the district will comprise ten members. Six out of them should belong to Scheduled Tribes (ST) and the remaining four can be from other communities or from Scheduled Tribes. Among the six ST members, three should be women. Among the other four members, two should be women. For electing these members, the grama sabhas should convene by 10 a.m. on August 3 and hold the election process from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on that day.

The committees will be constituted in ten wards of five grama panchayats in the district. This will include three in Kulathupuzha, one in Chidara, two in Aryankavu, two in Thenmala and two in Piravanthur.

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