Ensure adherence to law protecting forest-dwelling communities from eviction, Centre tells states

The Union government has told states to create a mechanism to ensure that the Forest Rights Act is adhered to and a grievance redressal mechanism is set up, The Indian Express reported on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs wrote a letter to states on January 10 after getting complaints from villages located inside tiger reserves in at least three states – Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal – that residents were being pressured to vacate ancestral lands notwithstanding their rights under the Forest Rights Act and Wildlife Protection Act.

The Centre asked state tribal development and forest departments for a report stating the number of villages in tiger reserves, the tribes and forest-dwelling communities who live there, and details about forest rights claims received, accepted and rejected.

The Union government also asked states to explain the process that they followed to seek consent for eviction, and the compensation they paid to villagers, The Indian Express reported

The tribal affairs ministry noted that the Forest Rights Act protects forest-dwelling communities from unlawful evictions, and requires that any resettlement must be carried out only with their informed consent.

In Madhya Pradesh alone, the ministry received complaints from 52 villages within the state’s Durgavati Tiger Reserve, The Indian Express reported on January 5, prompting directions to the state government to resolve the…

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