Lakhs of forest dwellers face eviction

A recent Supreme Court order may lead to the eviction of lakhs of persons belonging to the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers categories across 21 States — their claim as forest dwellers have been rejected under the Forest Rights Act of 2006. ‘File affidavits by July 12’ The Bench, in a 19-page order, cautioned the States that if the evictions are not carried out within the stipulated time, “the matter would be viewed seriously.” The court ordered the States’ Chief Secretaries to also file affidavits by July 12, explaining why the rejected claimants were not evicted even after their claims were junked. The court ordered the Forest Survey of India to make a satellite survey and place on record the “encroachment positions.” It directed FSI to also place on record the position “after the eviction as far as possible.” Section 6 of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act of 2006 shows a multi-layered and hierarchical procedure for recognition or rejection of forest-dweller claims starting at the gram sabha level with multiple appellate committees at the State level. The Act is intended to provide a framework to “recognise and vest the forest rights and occupation in forest land in forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been residing in such forests for generations but whose rights could not be recorded.” In Andhra Pradesh, the court recorded that not a single order of eviction has been complied though 66,351 claims across 1,14,400 acres of forest land have been rejected.