Forest Rights Bill spells eco disaster

Land sharks will have a free run and the forest cover around the city, and for that matter, the country, will deplete considerably once the Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill, 2006 takes effect as an Act.

What has happened at Yeoor and Chena in Thane could well be a precursor to an ecological disaster of gigantic proportions in the making.

The bill moved by the central government has taken the environmentalists by surprise. According to them, instead of addressing the serious problem of adverse climatic changes, the central government is all set to destroy forest cover of the country.

Large tracts of tribal lands just outside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Yeoor are known to have been appropriated by influential people , including politicians, who have built bungalows on them. Tribal land in Chena, on the northern fringe of the park, has been leased to quarry operators. The tribals thus find themselves deprived of their assets and livelihood. Despite lengthy litigations and vociferous protests, the land remains with quarry owners.

Environmentalists say that with the passage of the bill, even the existing marginal forest cover will vanish. Ironically, the government proclaims that the bill has been drafted to correct a "historical wrong" which deprived tribals of ownership rights over forest land to which they had unfettered access.

Pavan Sukhdeo, chairman of Green Indian States Trust (GIST) said, "Once the Act comes into force, each family occupying land in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries prior to 2005, would be allotted around four hectares of land each. However, that does not  provide for legal or effective means of converting the ownership into sustainable income."

Sukhdeo feels, "Despite becoming owners, the tribals will not benefit since they lack the expertise to convert the asset into a reliable and consistent source of income. The act will also pose a grave threat to water security of the country, accelerate land degradation, soil erosion and related ecological damage."

Sukhdeo is of the view that some funds from the Employment Guaranatee Scheme should be used for local eco-restoration and afforestation activities carried out by tribals under the guidance of local forest department. Sukhdeo observes that once the stipulated four hectares of land is allotted to the tribal families, they will resort to large-scale tree felling.

"Large tracts of land will be rendered barren within no time and tribals will be clueless as to what to do next. They could of course turn to agriculture, plantation or animal husbandry. But they do not have adequate skills to pursue these activities and the access to marketing chain that takes the product to market."

The GIST chairman says this is where the rich will step in. Once the land goes into the hands of such influential people, the tribals will be back to square one. He said the levels of carbon dioxide emissions due to factors like tree cutting, shifting cultivation and encroachments, which presently stood at 280 mega tonnes, would spiral to a 4800 to 7400 mega tonnes once the act comes into force.