Awareness meeting on Forest Rights Act, 2006 held in Jonai

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: A crucial awareness meeting on the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 was held on Thursday at Garo Community Hall located at Rajakhana under Jonai subdivision of Dhemaji district. The awareness meeting was organized by Rajakhana Branch Committee of All Assam Tribal Sangha, Rajakhana Regional Committee of Takam Mising Porin Kebang (TMPK) and Jonai Regional Committee of United Bodo People's Organization (UBPO), in association with the Rajakhana Gaon Panchayat.

The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 is a key piece of forest legislation passed in India on December, 2006. It has also been called the Forest Rights Act, the Tribal Rights Act, the Tribal Bill, and the Tribal Land Act. The law concerns the rights of forest-dwelling communities to land and other resources, denied to them over decades as a result of the continuance of colonial forest laws in India.

The meeting commenced with Biren Pegu, the president of Rajakhana Gaon Panchayat, in the chair. Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Dhemaji (Revenue), Utpal Doley attended the event as resource person. In his speech, the ADC said that the State Government had initiated moves to accord land right to the Scheduled Tribes and the traditional forest dwellers of the State by enforcing the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.

"There are three categories of land— revenue land, non-surveyed land and reserve forest areas. There are 960 revenue villages in Dhemaji district while there are 209 non-surveyed villages in the district. The highest number of non-surveyed villages, 209 out of 600 across the State, are located in Dhemaji district. On the other hand, there are 109 non-surveyed villages in Jonai Revenue Circle. At present, 25 survey teams are working across the State to survey the 600 non-surveyed villages in the State. Out of them, 12 teams are surveying the non-surveyed villages under Jonai, Sissi, Dhemaji and Gogamukh Revenue Circles of Dhemaji district. This survey process will be completed by March 31, 2022," the ADC asserted in the meeting in connection with his lecture. He appealed to the tribal community landless people and forest dwellers to be benefitted by the provisions of the Act concerned with regard to achieving land by submitting adequate documents.

On the other hand, taking part in the meeting, UBPO State president-cum-Jonai subdivision Forest Right Act (FRA), 2006, Implementation Committee member Manoranjan Basumatari said, "The Forest Right Act, 2006 has been enforced and implemented in various States across the nation, except Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, the Dhemaji district administration has initiated steps to invited tender to conduct geological survey of the forest areas of the district in order to accord the land pattas to the tribal people and the traditional forest dwellers of the district by enforcing the FRA, 2006. The people will be benefitted by the Act only when they can submit adequate documents for the favour of their claims," Manoranjan Basumatari added. He called upon the people concerned to constitute the Gram Sabhas for the proper enforcement of the Act.

In addition to them, Mising Bane Kebang general secretary Raju Medak, Dhemaji District Fishery Officer Lakshminath Lagasu also delivered awareness lectures by highlighting various aspects of the FRA, 2006.

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