Govt to speed up FRA implementation: Negi

Shimla, June 13

Himachal is among the laggards when it comes to implementing the Forest Rights Act, 2006. In 16 years since the law came into force in 2008, the claims under the FRA has been settled merely on 4,500 hectare of forestland. “As per the government data, the potential FRA claims in the state are on around nine lakh hectare. In 16 years, the claims have been settled on just 4,545 hectares, which is even less than one per cent of the total forestland on which the FRA claims are pending,” said Y Giri Rao, secretary of NGO Vasundhara. Rao was a resource person in a workshop held by the state government on the law for its officials.

Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi, too, agreed that the implementation of the Act had been quite tardy in the state. “The Act was brought to recognise the rights of Scheduled Tribes and other forest dwellers on forestland on which they are traditionally dependent. The implementation of the Act has been quite sluggish, but now we want to give it a major thrust so that deserving people get its benefits,” he said while presiding over the workshop to apprise the officers concerned about the nitty-gritties of the Act.

“Several officers are not well versed with the Act and that delays its implementation. The workshop has removed all their doubts and now there should no unnecessary delay,” he added.

Negi said that the Deputy Commissioner and sub-divisional officers would not be transferred from tribal areas until desired results were seen with regard to the implementation of the FRA. “If we still find any official delaying the implementation of the Act, action could be taken against him. At the government level as well, disciplinary action will be taken against him,” he added.