Latest news with #ForestRightsAct
Scoop
8 hours ago
- Scoop
India: Police Raid Indigenous Village Inside Tiger Reserve
June 18, 2025 This morning more than 250 police, forest guards and tiger force members raided a village which Indigenous people had reclaimed in a tiger reserve six weeks ago. The security forces tore down seven forest shelters where women, children and older people were living, at Karadikallu Atturu Kolli village, in Nagarhole Tiger Reserve. 'They are forcing people to destroy their own homes on their own lands. This is a grave violation of human rights as well as the rights guaranteed under the Forest Rights Act,' said a source from inside the village. Jenu Kuruba people were violently evicted from Nagarhole 40 years ago to make way for a tiger reserve. More than 50 families returned on May 5 to live in their former village and to assert their claims in accordance with India's Forest Rights Act. It's believed to be the first time Indigenous people in India asserted their rights to return to their homes after eviction from a Protected Area. 'It is outrageous that the Jenu Kuruba are being thrown out of their home once again. The authorities must stop this persecution of the Jenu Kuruba, who are just trying to live in peace on their own land,' said Caroline Pearce, director of Survival International. 'As we've seen time and again, conservation – in this case a Tiger Reserve – is being used as a pretext to violate Indigenous rights. It is time to stop this abusive and colonial model of fortress conservation.' The Jenu Kuruba had lived alongside and worshipped tigers for generations. They decided to return because their sacred spirits, who still dwell in the old village location, became angry at being abandoned when the community was forced from the forest in the 1980s. This is a developing story.
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
BJP govt evicting tribals from their land, denying their rights: Cong
Bhopal: In a joint press conference, LOP Umang Singhar, former Union Minister Arun Yadav, and Congress Working Committee member Kamleshwar Patel stated that tribals in the state are being denied their rights to water, forests, and land by the BJP govt. The Congress functionaries said that, in gross injustice, tribals are being evicted from their land and suppressed with false allegations. The Congress cautioned that if the rights of tribals are not enforced within 15 days, the party will start a mass movement against the BJP govt. Calling the policies of the govt anti-tribal, the three senior leaders said that the BJP has deviated from the issues of development and is now engaging only in the politics of religion. LOP Umang Singhar alleged that the govt is depriving tribals of their traditional rights. "The land leases of thousands of tribal families were cancelled without any prior notice. It is clear from this action of the govt that it wants to snatch the rights of the tribals to water, forest, and land," LOP Singhar said. He also mentioned that in Madhya Pradesh, only five leases were given in Jhabua district so far, which shows that the govt's intention is not to give the tribals their rights but to drive them out of their homes and forests. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Thị trường có dấu hiệu suy thoái không? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo The LOP said that tribals talk about water, forest, and land, but the community is being divided into religions. "Tribals worship nature. Our identity is not with religion but with land and forest. The BJP RSS is going from village to village and dividing us because when BJP talks, it talks only about religion," Singhar alleged. "If the govt does not accept the tribals' demands for lease within 15 days, then a fierce movement will be launched. " Umang Singhar claimed that it was 17 years since the Forest Rights Act (2006) came into force, but the BJP govt has not yet given lakhs of tribal families their legal right to ownership of forest land. "More than eight lakh forest rights claims are still pending across the country. This shows that the govt failed miserably in the proper implementation of the Forest Rights Act 2006," Singhar said. He further argued that the Madhya Pradesh govt rejected more than 3 lakh claims out of 6.5 lakh forest rights claims made by tribals till 2024 without citing any clear reason. Quoting the Forest Rights Rules 2007, the LOP said that Rule 12A (6) states that it is mandatory for the govt to give reasons in writing for rejecting a claim. The Forest Rights Rules, 2007; Rule 12A says, "In the event of rejection or modification of a claim, the reasons for the same must be told in writing in the local language to the person concerned." The LOP alleged that due to the abundance of mineral wealth in the forests of Nepanagar, the govt wants to forcibly displace the tribals there, so that the way can be cleared for private companies. "The govt is falsely accusing the tribals of cutting the trees, while the truth is that they are protecting the forests and planting trees there. There are some other elements that are harming the forests, which the govt is ignoring," Singhar argued. Former Union Minister Arun Yadav said that the govt is removing tribals from the Nepanagar forests even though these tribals were engaged in forest protection. He accused that this is a trick of the govt because it wants to serve corporate interests by evicting the tribals from the forests. Giving the Mohan Yadav govt 15 days, the Congress leaders made it clear that if within this period the tribal society members do not get their rights back, then the Congress party will start a mass movement, and the fight for the rights of the tribals will be fought from the streets to the state assembly.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Forest officials raze ‘illegal' sheds of tribals in Nagarahole wildlife range
The forest personnel on Wednesday dismantled six alleged unauthorised sheds erected inside the Attur-Kolli forest area of the Nagarahole Wildlife Range. This was in response to repeated resistance by tribal families who had occupied the land in early May and were reportedly obstructing forest department officials from accessing the site. According to Nagarahole assistant conservator of forests (ACF) Ananya Kumar, members of the tribal community entered the forest on May 5 and felled nearly 42 saplings to clear space for new shelters. 'Despite being served a notice on June 17 and given another chance on June 18 to voluntarily dismantle the new sheds, the encroachers blocked entry routes of officials,' Kumar said. 'Forest staff, under heavy police cover, accessed the area through an alternative path and proceeded with the demolition.' He said that claims by the tribal families that asserted ancestral links to the land could not be substantiated. 'The tribals claimed that they were the original inhabitants of the forest and staying since decades. But the documents available with department and surveys conducted by NGOs and even Google Maps found no human inhabitant in the area earlier. According to the Forest Rights Act, the inhabitants should have constructed their huts and cultivated the land in the forest before December 13, 2005. But there were no signs of human living, and the tribals failed to provide any proof of it,' he said, adding that the sub-division level committee (SDLC) had already rejected their land rights petition. He further said that while six new structures were demolished, six earlier sheds built in May were left untouched. Officials clarified that while the SDLC had turned down the land claims on May 22 this year, the applicants still have the right to appeal before the district level committee (DLC) within 60 days. The eviction has sparked a backlash from tribal rights activists. JA Shivu, president of the Nagarhole Adivasi Jammapale Hakku Sthapana Samithi, said the affected families had long-standing ties to the forest and had only temporarily migrated for work. 'We are not demanding any new rights from government, it is our right which is given by the Act under the Constitution but forest officials are suppressing our rights. We will take up agitation till our right is given,' he said. In a statement issued by the Karadikallu Atturu Kolli Haadi Forest Rights Committee, residents claimed they had returned to their ancestral land on May 5. 'On 17-06-2025, we, the people of Karadikallu Atturu Kolli village, been served a we should immediately destroy the they threatened that they will bring down the huts and file criminal charges against our people. This is a serious and absolute travesty of justice,' the statement read.
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Aralam named butterfly sanctuary, rat snake proposal put on hold
Kochi: The state wildlife board, chaired by the chief minister, has on Wednesday approved the renaming of Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary as Aralam Butterfly Sanctuary, recognizing it as Kerala's first butterfly sanctuary. The board, However, deferred a decision on declaring the Indian rat snake (Ptyas mucosa), locally known as Chera, as the official state reptile. Some members opined that more detailed research is necessary before making such a designation. The renaming of Aralam Sanctuary honours its role as a major destination during the annual mass migration of butterflies, particularly the Albatross species, which arrive in large numbers. Experts attribute this phenomenon to the sanctuary's unique climate and the presence of host plants. Situated in the valley of the Brahmagiri mountain ranges, Aralam benefits from mineral-rich water flowing from the hills, which collects along the riverbanks. These minerals are vital for butterflies before breeding. "We have recorded 5,000 to 12,000 butterflies passing a single point in just five minutes," said a forest department official. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like One of the Most Successful Investors of All Time, Warren Buffett, Recommends: 5 Books for Turning... Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Click Here Undo "More studies are needed on their migration routes and whether they return." Several other proposals were also discussed at the meeting. The board agreed to approach the Union govt to provide legal heirs an additional opportunity to declare wildlife trophies that remained undisclosed following the death of certified owners. A proposal will be submitted for the construction of a ropeway to transport goods from Pamba to the Sabarimala shrine. Approval was also granted for 21 quarries and several integrated production units located outside but within 10km of various wildlife sanctuaries and eco-sensitive zones across Kerala. As part of ongoing tribal development efforts, the board decided to recommend five community centres and five roads within the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary under the Forest Rights Act.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Forest dept dismantles Jenu Kuruba tents in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve
Mysuru: Weeks after more than four dozen Jenu Kuruba families entered Nagarahole Tiger Reserve and set up temporary tents, claiming land rights, the state forest department on Wednesday dismantled six temporary tents erected at Attur Kolli Haadi inside Nagarahole forest. The operation was carried out under tight security after the indigenous dwellers' claims over the forest area were rejected by the sub-division level forest rights committee (SDLC) in Madikeri on May 22. The claimants were given an opportunity to appeal the SDLC decision at the district-level committee within 60 days. Meanwhile, the Jenu Kuruba families alleged the operation was inhumane. "These six sheds were constructed only after taking permission at the gram sabha on May 20. The gram sabha was organised under the Forest Rights Act. Now, the forest department has violated the provisions of the act," they charged. According to the forest department, the Jenu Kuruba families had illegally entered and occupied an area of the Attur-Kolli forest within the Nagarahole Wildlife Range on May 5 and had been residing there since then. Six sheds were illegally constructed on June 17 by clearing the vegetation and chopping off around 42 small-sized trees, officials said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Use an AI Writing Tool That Actually Understands Your Voice Grammarly Install Now Undo A notice was issued to the tribal community heads the same day to clear out the six new tents, and they were given another opportunity on Wednesday to voluntarily remove the structures. However, they refused and blocked forest and police personnel from entering the area. The personnel then reached the spot through an alternative route and cleared out the area, ACF (Nagarahole wildlife sub-division) J Ananya Kumar said in a press release. However, forest officials clarified that the structures erected on May 5 were not dismantled.
