Govt failed to put farmers’ point of view before SC: Seb Utpadak Sangh

The Himachal Pradesh Kisan Sabha and the Seb Utpadak Sangh held a state-level convention here on Monday to address the eviction of farmers from agricultural land, and the regularisation of ownership of land. The convention was attended by around 400 farmers from across the state.

Discussing the Indian Forest Act, 1927; Forest Conservation Act, 1980; and Forest Rights Act, 2006, Rakesh Singha, national convener of the Seb Utpadak Sangh, said these laws needed to be amended in the interest of the farmers.

The state government failed to effectively put farmers’ point of view before the Supreme Court, which would have resulted in relief for the farmers, he added.

The convention decided to hold district-level meetings and submit memorandums to the Centre and state government on February 11.

During the convention, demands were raised to update land records to reflect farmers’ ownership, exchanging of forest land with agricultural land, etc.