Though the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition to Forest Rights) Act 2006 and Rule 2007 have been formulated by the Union government, but the present Madhya Pradesh government has proved that it is more serious about allaying the longstanding woes of forest dwellers and tribals living in jungles for ages. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition to Rights) Act-2006, which is also called Forest Rights Act, enshrines provisions to give rights to forest-based scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers over traditional use of forest land and resources and recording and recognising these rights. In this way, this Act actually aims at recognition of rights of tribal people and traditional forest dwellers. According to SMS News and Features, alacrity of the State government in implementing this Act in toto can be gauged by the arrangements it had made for the same.
The process of implementing the Act began on January 26, 2008 when discussions began at village committees' meetings. At the same time, discussions were also held on the formation of Forest Rights Committees and invitation of claims. Booklets containing the provisions of the Act and Rule were provided for the village meetings.
Nodal officers gave detailed information about Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition to Forest Rights) Act 2006 and Rule 2007 to the members of villages committees.
Elections to the Forest Rights Committees were held during these special meetings of village committees apart from starting the process of issuing notification of inviting claims both individual and community-wise.
State government has set the time limit beginning from January 26 to September 2008 for the implantation of various provisions of the Act. This includes convening convention of village committees from January 26 to February 5, 2008 and discussion on Forest Rights Act, election to Forest Rights Committees, nomination of president and secretary of Forest Rights Committees and sending their names to sub-division level committees and invitation of claims.
Apart from arranging training programmes and workshops, the state government also adopted an ingenious and novel method to publicise the Act's provisions so that maximum number of tribals can take advantage.
The rights given to tribal people under Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act-2006 and Rule-2008 are being publicised through street plays. As many as 13 drama troupes are presenting one thousand street plays in 15 tribal predominant development blocks in the state. These drama troupes are making tribal people aware of their rights apart from telling them as to how they can take advantage of the facilities given by the state government under Forest Rights Act.
These drama troupes are using different dialects in the street plays including Bhili, Gondi and Korku. The street plays are being played in 89 tribal predominant development blocks. The drama troupes would stage street plays in tribal predominant development blocks in Dhar, Mandla, Ratlam, Sheopur, Jhabua, Khargone, Badwani, Burhanpur, Hoshangabad, Seoni, Dindori, Balaghat, Shahdol, Umaria and Sidhi districts.
The drama troupes also distribute copies of Forest Rights Act and its translation in Korku dialect and claim forms among the rural people.
Updated records
In the mid-May, the state government issued instructions to forest officers for implementation of Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers (Recognition to Forest Rights) Act-2006 and Rule 2008. The state government set in motion the process of making available updated records of the land encroached by forest dwellers.
All the Conservators of Forest (Territorial) and Field Directors of National Parks were asked to make available these records to Gram Sabhas, Forest Rights Committees and division as well district level committees as per their requirements. As per the set process, all the compiled documents would be put up at forest circle level. For this purpose, Directors of National Parks/Divisional Forest Officers would ensure sending all the records prepared by them to concerning Forest Range Officers.
Similarly, as per the demand of records from Gram Sabhas or Forest Rights Committees for records prepared by Beat Guards/Game Guards, officers would have to collect the concerning records with the help of Range Assistants and provide the same to the concerning Gram Sabha or Forest Rights Committee within a week.
If the sub-division level committee asks for records from Forest Ranger/Game Ranger, they would have to make the records available within a week. The concerning records would be made available within the same time span to district level committee on demand by Forest Ranger/Game Ranger.
According to directives issued by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Shri V.R. Khare, Conservators of Forests have been asked to accelerate implementation of Forest Rights Act by monthly review of cases concerning supply of documents in their respective circles.
Training imparted to officers
A daylong workshop was held Bhopal-based Academy of Administration to impart training to master trainers about process related to implementation of Schedule Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006 and 2007. One hundred and fifty master trainers from Bhopal, Hoshangabad and Sagar division took part in the workshop. These master trainers were selected by the district collectors and included officers from Forest, Revenue, Tribal Welfare, Panchayat and Rural Development Departments. These master trainers would not return to their respective villages and train the nodal officers who would in turn give detailed information about the Act to villagers at the village meetings to be held from January 26, 2008.
Media workshop
Print as well as electronic media can play an important role in conveying to the masses information about Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition to Forest Rights) Act 2006 and Rules 2007.
With this in view, a media workshop on the subject of recognition to forest rights was organised at Ujjain on May 15.
During the colonial rule and even after independence forest dwellers were not given rights over their paternal lands as well as their dwellings. Due to development works in the state some of these scheduled tribes and traditional forest dwellers were forced to shift far away from their actual places of habitation. With a view to ending this injustice it has become a crying need to give attention to their long-standing insecurity regarding land and provide rights to them to access the forests. This new Act is a meaningful effort for removing these anomalies and discrepancies and Madhya Pradesh government is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring its successful implementation.
Muslim Saleem
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