Tripura’s CPIM Tribal Wing – GMP Writes To Joint Committee Of Parliament On Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill 2023

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Posted in Featured, Northeast, Tripura
Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura

Agartala, May 17, 2023: Tripura Rajya Upajati Ganamukti Parishad, popularly known as GMP affiliated to CPIM writes to the chairperson of the Joint Committee of Parliament on Wednesday over the Forest (Conservation) Amendment 2023.

Tripura GMP president Naresh Chandra Jamatia and general secretary Radhacharan Debbarma in a two-page letter to the JCP Chairperson Rajendra Agarwal informed that they are very much concerned about The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023 because it denies and dilutes The Forest Right Act, 2006, which is most important for survival of the tribals of our country. The correlation between Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and Forest Right Act, 2006 is unignorable. But in the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023, nothing is said about FRA, 2006.

“It is pertinent that the tribals or adivasis are recognised as the most backward and vulnerable section of our society. They have been living in the forest areas from time immemorial and facing multifarious problems in our country. One of their major problem is land alienation. Before and after independence lakhs of tribals have been evicted from their own land without any proper rehabilitation and compensation because of different developmental project implementation in the forest areas. Tribals were treated as illegal encroacher of forest land not as protector of forest in their own land.”

“It was in this background that the August Parliament enacted FRA, 2006 in order to end the ‘historical injustice’ committed against forest dweller tribals in our great country. After introduction of FRA, 2006 the tribals got forest pattas in different states. It is to mention here that 1 lakh 29 thousand tribal families were provided with forest pattas in Tripura which is the highest in our country. Therefore any dilution of FRA-2006 is unacceptable to the tribals”, the memorandum reads.

Tripura GMP leaders informed that they are aware of the danger of global warming and necessity of forest conservation, aforestation, ecological balance, etc and they are not against implementation of development project in tribal areas. But they are opposing privatisation of forest land and resources for monopoly capitalists.

Hence, they requested the JCP Chairperson for making provision so that the demands- “Before implementing of any developmental project in the forest areas, obtaining ‘consents of the gram sabhas of concerned areas’ be made obligatory”, and “Proper rehabilitation and compensation should be done for the forest dwellers where eviction is unavoidable before project implementation starts” are incorporated in the amendment bill 2023.

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