10 villages get community forest resource rights in Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has distributed titles for community forest resource rights to 10 villages in core and buffer areas of two tiger reserves under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.

Community forest reso­ur­ces include traditional grazing grounds; areas for collection of roots, tubers, fodder, wild edible fruits and minor forest produce, sources of water for human or livestock use; medicinal plant collection territories of herbal practitioners.

On the occasion of World Indigenous People’s Day (August 9), Baghel gave the titles to five gram sabhas each of Achanakmar Tiger Reserve and Sitanadi-Udanti Tiger Reserve respectively. The gram sabhas whose rights have been recognised in Achanakmar Tiger Reserve fall under Mungeli district. Of these, 4 villages are situated in the core area, while 1 falls under the buffer area.

Similarly, community forest resource rights have been jointly recognised in three gram sabhas of Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, along with two in the buffer area of the Udanti part of the Sitanadi-Udanti Tiger Reserve, in Gariaband district.

The recognition of rights in tiger reserves was a long-time demand of villagers residing in the core zone.

“In total, the Chief Minister recognised rights over an area of 12,527.548 hectares of forest land, thereby authorising the gram sabhas to conserve, protect, rejuvenate and manage their community forest areas, even within the tiger reserve,” a forest department official said. The right is granted under section 3(1) (i) of the Recognition of Forest Rights Act, 2006.

Meanwhile, the Chhattisgarh government will launch a campaign from August 15 to January 26 to create awareness regarding Community Forest Resource Rights among the Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers.

The Foundation for Ecological Security in collaboration with the forest and tribal development departments prepared a calendar for this campaign to educate the gram sabhas about their rights. At present, claims of Community Forest Resource Rights have been approved in 3801 villages of the state. These include claims over 15,32,316 hectares.

The state government has distributed titles for Kulhadighat gram sabha, a remote village in Gariaband, where the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had visited in 1985 to interact with the people of primitive and vulnerable tribal community Kamar. The village, where Gandhi had his lunch, has received the title over 1321.052 hectares of forest areas.