The Hindu : Karnataka News : ‘Implement Tribal Forest Rights Act'

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Tuesday, Jun 28, 2011
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Karnataka

Karnataka

‘Implement Tribal Forest Rights Act'

Correspondent

Karwar: The Joint Action Committee of Yellapur and Mundgod taluk has urged the implementation of the Tribal Forest Rights Act in Uttara Kannada district for Scheduled Tribes people. The committee submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner of Uttara Kannada on Monday demanding implementation of the Act.

The Tribal Forest Rights Act 2006 had come into force in 2008. The Act was applicable to the Scheduled Tribes and the traditional forest dwellers. But the officials said it was applicable to some ST communities and on that basis only 393 people in Yellapur taluk and 72 people in Mundgod taluk were given the hakku patra (ownership right). This has caused injustice to other tribal people and the traditional forest dwellers, the committee said.

The official team visited the spot without informing the claimants. The application for joint rights on forest lands was submitted to the officials and the distribution process had not yet commenced. This was nothing but exploitation of the forest dwellers, the committee said.

The traditional forest dwellers and the Scheduled Tribes people residing in forest lands in Uttara Kannada district had already submitted the relevant documents to prove their claim on the forest lands. But the divisional Aranya Hakku Samiti rejected the application on June 10 citing the reason that the application was incomplete. By this, 6,500 claimants in Yellapur and Mundgod taluk faced the difficulty, the committee said.

Although there was a provision to form the Aranya Hakku Samiti in town panchayat areas, it was not formed in Uttara Kannada district despite repeated requests. It requested for justice to be given to the Scheduled Tribes and traditional forest dwellers of Uttara Kannada.

Yellapur S. Jogiyavar, Mahadev Raikar, Narayan Marathi, Vittu Varat, Rojanai Juje Siddi, Bhimasi Valmiki, and Prema Banadavar were present.

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