Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi (SP)
New Delhi, Feb 22: The Supreme Court, through a verdict, has ordered for the eviction of 12 lac families of tribals who live inside the forests. These families have faced this prospect as they have not been able to prove their land ownership in tune with Forest Rights Act. The order effectively will drive four lac families out to the streets in Karnataka alone. This order has the makings of giving rise to an upheaval at a time when Lok Sabha election is round the corner.
The Supreme Court passed this order after hearing a petition filed by a Bengaluru-based NGO, Wildlife First. As per the order passed by a three-judge bench, all the families whose applications under Forest Rights Act have been rejected, need to be driven out of the forests.
As per the said act, to be eligible to continue to live inside the forests, the families have to prove that as at December 31, 2005, their three previous generations had lived inside the forests. Proving this can be tricky. While those whose applications have been upheld need not worry, their actual figure is not available.
As per the said order, 16 states including Karnataka have to clear their forests of 11,72,932 families living inside forests. Once the remaining states furnish their respective figures, these families also will have to be driven out. The figure might cross 12 lac families as a whole. A large chunk of such families live in Karnataka, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. The Supreme Court has warned that if the state governments neglect this order, their inaction will be viewed seriously during the next hearing on July 27. After the state government evicts the families, the central government's department of environment has to conduct satellite-based survey and file affidavit in the court.
Karnataka forest minister , Satish Jarkiholi, said that he has information about passing of such an order by the Supreme Court but he is yet to get full text. He said that the advocates of the government have been asked to procure full order after which it would be studied and steps would be taken to protect the interests of forest dwellers.
Revenue minister, R V Deshpande, said that the chief secretary of the government has been asked to take steps to provide another opportunity to those forest dwellers who have either not applied or whose applications have been rejected. He added that the social welfare minister has been apprised of this development, and he would be taking corrective action.