Veteran civil society activist George Monipally alias 'Dhoti Father' of ‘ Campaign for Survival & Dignity’ a unit of Bharat Jan Andolan has urged the unscrupulous forest officials to abstain from spreading a canard that Forest Rights Act stands ‘dissolved’ or it has lost its ‘teeth.’
He alleged, “We have reports that forest officials reach houses of tribal located in the jungles where they warn them to get out of the forest land and stop doing agricultural activities on the forest land terming their dwelling and agricultural activities as encroachment of forest land.”
Monipally said, “These forest officials threaten the innocent poor tribal with lodging of criminal cases against them and also frighten them that their houses and agro fields will be devastated by the JCB machine.”
This campaigner for Survival & Dignity cited a few episodes of this nature where forest officials had so intimidated tribal living in the jungles of Latehar’s Herhunj.
Sources said some Korwa families dwelling in the jungles of Chiniya block in Garhwa district had a similar ‘encounter’ with such rash forest officials admonishing them to move out of the forest/ jungle land.
Monipally said the State government must step forward to check this kind of disinformation in regard to the Forest Rights Act by indiscreet forest officials.
He said Gram Sabhas should be empowered to issue transit permit for MFP ( minor forest produce) as till date transit permit for MFP is issued by forest functionaries.
Gram Sabha be made the nodal body for the MFP he said. Where Monipally spoke of the forest rights to percolate down to the last family of the tribal he campaigned with the same vigour for ‘no hunting’ in the jungles. He said “Hunting in any form is to be curbed.”
As for community rights Monipally said “ Delay in this is unfortunate. Community rights if passed on to gram Sabha will help a better management of forest, its protection and its regeneration as well.”