Three members of the Joint Committee of Union Ministries of Environment and Forests and Tribal Affairs on the implementation of Forest Rights Act, who visited Visakhapatnam district during last week of July, found some lacunae in the implementation of the Act.
Co-Chairman of the committee Devendra Pandey, Members Ravi Rebbapragada and Ravi Chellam interacted with the Girijans, Government officials and civil organisations during their visit to six mandals in the Agency and heard the problems raised by representatives of Girijan organisations from several other districts during a public consultation here.
In a report prepared as part of the ongoing work of the committee, which the members said was not the final views of the committee, it was stated that the constitution of the Forest Rights Committees at the Gram Panchayat level instead of village or habitation or hamlet level, was a deviation from the mandated procedure and thus the FRCs became largely ineffective.
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Claims of Girijans on the lands they were cultivating in the areas where bauxite mining was proposed were not accepted without giving any reason. The committee members received many complaints from the Girijans that the area they were cultivating was very much less than the area allotted in the title deed given to them under FRA. During a meeting with the State government officials at Hyderabad, the Special Chief Secretary (tribal welfare) realised that forming FRCs at Panchayat level was a mistake and it would be examined, the committee member said. The Government had set deadlines to expedite the process of implementing FRA, they were told.