Implement Forest Rights Act: NGO

Our Correspondent

Nurpur, August 3

The Himachal Niti Abhiyan, an NGO, has appealed to the state government to implement the Forest Rights Act, 2006.

Guman Singh, state convener of the NGO, in a statement here today underlined the need for implementing the Act on priority to protect rights of villagers and farmers in the state. He said forest right holders and tribals in the state could not be deprived of using traditional forest resources until the completion of the process of approving forest rights under the Act. “Under the Act, the state-level monitoring committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, had submitted a proposal to the state government in August last year recommending the state government to file a review petition in the state High Court relating to its order to remove encroachments on forest land by felling apple trees but the government failed to do so,” he lamented.

Guman Singh urged the state government to stop felling of green trees and demolition of structures (houses), besides revoking FIRs registered by the Forest Department against farmers in upper Shimla areas. “As per the law, the Forest Department cannot eject farmers from forest land until the completion of the process of approval of forest rights,” he said. He said the state government was not serious about implementing the Act. He alleged that the Forest Department’s act of removing encroachments on forest land by felling fruit-bearing apple trees in upper Shimla area was one-sided and against farmers’ interests in the state.

“The state government did never act to remove encroachments on several bighas of government as well as forest land grabbed and encroached by some power projects and private industries in the state.