The movement against the proposed coal mine in Mahan forests took a significant turn on Independence Day. At the Gram Sabha meeting held on Friday, residents of Amelia village of Singrauli filed their Community Forest Rights (CFR) claim and presented documentary evidence that would establish that they have been dependent on Mahan forests for their livelihood for several generations.
CFR recognised under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) are important for securing livelihood of forest communities and for strengthening self governance of forests and natural resources. President of the Forest Rights Committee in Amelia village and a member of Mahan Sangharsh Samiti (MSS) Hardayal Singh Gond said, “We have been raising our voice demanding the implementation of the FRA for a long time. Finally we have been able to assert our rights successfully. We had tried filing our CFR claims two years ago, but then the Gram Sabha was scuttled. The next thing we knew, another Gram Sabha was held seeking consent for Essar and Hindalco's proposed coal mine on March 6, 2013. This particular Gram Sabha saw large scale forgery of signatures to give a go-ahead to the mining proposal.”
With their consistent efforts, members of MSS have been successful in convincing the administration that the March 6 Gram Sabha resolution was forged. However, there have been efforts to quash the movement as well.At the Gram Sabha held on Sunday, a resolution to ban Greenpeace, an NGO, from entering the region was proposed. “Greenpeace has been working in this region for the past four years, creating awareness and educating us about our rights. Any NGO (national or international) is welcome to do so. If there is any dispute, it should be put to vote,” says Gond.
This resolution comes two weeks after two Greenpeace activists were arrested and its mobile signal booster and solar panels were seized by the local police from Amelia village. Members of MSS also opposed a resolution that stated a compensation package of Rs1.5 lakh for the villagers.