Hundreds of tribal people and forest dwellers under the banner of the Jami Jungle Mukti Andolan (JJMA) held a protest rally in Nuapada district headquarters on Tuesday demanding recognition of forest rights.
The protest march started from the mini stadium, moved around the Nuapada town and gheraoed the Collector office. Around 1,500 tribals and forest dweller from all the five blocks, Nuapada, Komana, Boden, Kahriar and Sinapali joined the rally.
Addressing the rally, JJMA leader Khuturam Sunani said, “Despite of our consistent struggles and reminders, the Nuapada district administration has failed to solve our problems of forest rights in last seven years of FRA implementation.”
While hundreds of Community Forest Rights (CFR) titles have been issued in many States and in many districts of the State, not a single community forest rights have been issued in the Nuapada district, he added.
CSD member Manohar Chauhan said, “When no Gram Sabha has rejected any individual forest right (IFR) claim, the district administration has illegally and arbitrarily shown around 11,215 IFR claims rejected by the Gram Sabha in its status report.
“While many villages of the district lack basic facilities like drinking water, education and communication etc, the State Government wants to fulfill whose interest by constructing four lines road in the district,” JJMA questioned.
Nuapada ADM Trilochan Minz received the memorandum of the JJMA on behalf of the district Collector. Their demands include recognition of community rights and rights over community forest resources, recognition of IFR of the OTFDs including Paharia community and halting of plantation programme or Ama Jungle etc.
However, JJMA members are sitting on a dharna in front of the Collector office and would continue their stir till their demands are fulfilled. PNS n BHUBANESWAR
Hundreds of tribal people and forest dwellers under the banner of the Jami Jungle Mukti Andolan (JJMA) held a protest rally in Nuapada district headquarters on Tuesday demanding recognition of forest rights.
The protest march started from the mini stadium, moved around the Nuapada town and gheraoed the Collector office. Around 1,500 tribals and forest dweller from all the five blocks, Nuapada, Komana, Boden, Kahriar and Sinapali joined the rally.
Addressing the rally, JJMA leader Khuturam Sunani said, “Despite of our consistent struggles and reminders, the Nuapada district administration has failed to solve our problems of forest rights in last seven years of FRA implementation.”
While hundreds of Community Forest Rights (CFR) titles have been issued in many States and in many districts of the State, not a single community forest rights have been issued in the Nuapada district, he added.
CSD member Manohar Chauhan said, “When no Gram Sabha has rejected any individual forest right (IFR) claim, the district administration has illegally and arbitrarily shown around 11,215 IFR claims rejected by the Gram Sabha in its status report.
“While many villages of the district lack basic facilities like drinking water, education and communication etc, the State Government wants to fulfill whose interest by constructing four lines road in the district,” JJMA questioned.
Nuapada ADM Trilochan Minz received the memorandum of the JJMA on behalf of the district Collector. Their demands include recognition of community rights and rights over community forest resources, recognition of IFR of the OTFDs including Paharia community and halting of plantation programme or Ama Jungle etc.
However, JJMA members are sitting on a dharna in front of the Collector office and would continue their stir till their demands are fulfilled.