The Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samiti (WPSS), a green movement, has expressed concern over the alleged move by the Wayanad sub-collector to assign two pieces of forestland in the Chethalayath range of forest under the South Wayanad forest division to a group of tribesmen under the Forest Rights Act .
Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, N. Badusha, president of the samiti, said only the Scheduled Tribes who had been residing inside the forests till December 13, 2005 would come under the purview of the Act, but the sub-collector was trying to assign land to 26 applicants of the Nekkuppa Paniya settlement, who never resided inside the forests or possessed forest land,and 20 Kattunayakka families at Changalamoolakkolly.
The government had provided land and houses at Aralam in Kannur district to 16 of the 26 applicants a few years ago. The government had also given land to 20 tribal families in Changalamoolakkolly under the Act in 2009. The new applicants were the newly settled in the area and relatives of the inhabitants, he said . Though the Act was meant only for forest dwellers, the official had collected thousands of applications from the landless tribal people across the district through tribal promoters, he said. A group of Revenue officials had surveyed nearly 36 acres of forest land at Nekkuppa without the permission of the Forest Department, he said. Such a move flouted all norms of the Act, Mr. Badusha said.
Official clarifies
However, Sub-Collector Sree Ram Sambsiva Rao told The Hindu that community rights of the tribesmen under the Act were yet to be settled in the district and the survey was conducted as per the demand of the Oorukkuttom tribesmen in those areas. If any, objections regarding the issue would be considered in the subdivision committee constituted for the purpose.
