Frontline – August 02, 2019

LEGISLATION

A FEWmonths before the parlia-
mentary election,the Uniongovern-
mentledby theBharatiyaJanata
Party(BJP)announced its intention
to amend the Indian Forest Act
(IFA),ostensiblywitha viewto pro-
tectingandconservingforests and
forestproduce.
However, the comprehensive
amendments, if passed, willresultin
an over-centralisationof stateau-
thorityandpoweroverforestsand
also come into conflict with the
ForestRightsAct(FRA)of 2006,
whichconfers titlesandrightsto tri-
balcommunitiesandothertradi-
tionalforestdwellers(OTFDs).
In theproposedamendments,
the Centrehasarrogatedto itselfthe
rightto declareanyareaa reserved
forest.Besides,State governments
and Forest Settlement Officers
(FSOs) are vestedwithmorepowers
thangramsabhas.
In the sectionon “baron accrual
of forestrights”,the amendmentslay
downthatno civilcourtshall,after
thepublicationof thenotification
underSection 4 andup to the dateof
publicationof the notification under
Section20,entertainanysuitto es-
tablishanyrightin or overanyland
or to theforest producefromany
land included in the notification
publishedunderSection4.
In the section on conferring
rightsof pastureor to forest produce,

the proposedamendmentsgo a step

furtherthanthe coloniallegislation,

wherethe FSOhadthe power “notto

admitanyclaim,in whole or in part,

unlessevidencewasprovidedto him”

andhe wassatisfied thatsucha claim

waswithin the“carryingcapacityof

the forest”.

A sectionon “commutationof

rights”givespowersto theFSOto

decideon therepresentationof a

presenting officer or Divisional

ForestOfficerwhetherthe exercising

of anyright, individualor collective,

wasinconsistentwiththeconserva-

tionof the reservedforest.He would

havethe power to “acquiresuch

rights”andcommutesuchrightsby

makinga paymentor grantof landto

maintain thesocialorganisationof

theforest-dwellingcommunities.A

copyof theorderwouldbe givento

the claimants.

Thismeansthatin casea tribal

person’sor forest dweller’s presence

is inconsistentwiththe conservation

of thereservedforest,theclaimto

suchforestedland, however legitim-

ate,couldbe setaside.Section 11

empowerstheFSOto acquiretribal

landandcompensatethe ownerun-

dertheprovisions of theLandAc-

quisitionAct, 2013.

Theamendmentsempowerthe

TRIBALPEOPLErepresentedby the
ShramjeeviSanghatanaprotestagainst
the draftof the IndianForest Act, 2019,
in Thaneon June4.

Forests over rights

TheBJP’sproposedamendmentstotheForestActgivetheCentraland

Stategovernmentsuntrammelledpowersandmilitateagainstthe

hard-wonrightsoftribalcommunities.BYT.K.RAJALAKSHMI