Kinnaur tribals protest, seek FRA implementation

Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 9

People from Kinnaur staged a protest at Reckong Peo today seeking speedy implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in the tribal areas of the state and to draw the attention of the government towards the growing threat to the ecology.

The protesting members of the Zila Van Adhikar Sangharsh Samiti Kinnaur were joined by representatives from the Spiti valley and the Hangrang valley. They demanded the immediate implementation of the FRA, especially in view of destructive developmental activities like hydropower in the region, which have played havoc with the fragile ecology.

The protesters said that despite repeated requests for the implementation of the FRA, successive governments had shown a lukewarm response and so far only 136 titles had been issued. They said that the decade-old law was brought in to recognise the individual and community rights of people dependent on forestland for their livelihood.

They said that close to 2,000 claims were lying pending in Kinnaur district alone. “The Chief Secretary had at a meeting directed the Deputy Commissioners of the tribal districts of Lahaul Spiti and Kinnaur to expedite the implementation of the Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006 or FRA, but there had been little progress.

Officials stalled the implementation of the FRA at the district and subdivision-level committees due to misgivings and the wrong interpretation of the law. “The most glaring example is of Lippa Gram Sabha where 47 claims were rejected on completely baseless grounds by the officials. This will happen again in the absence of proper training and clarifications to the line departments and other implementing agencies,” said Jiya Lal Negi, president of the Zila Van Adhikar Sangharsh Samiti Kinnaur.

RS Negi from the Him Lok Jagriti Manch said, “We are shocked that the administration is considering pushing the FRA in the tribal areas in order to facilitate the diversion of forestland for hydropower”. It was well known that hydropower projects had caused massive destruction to forests ecologically and geologically in fragile regions like Kinnaur, he added.

“We appeal to the authorities to implement the FRA in a just manner to uphold constitutional rights, strengthen the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities and promote community conservation of forests,” said RS Negi.