At Alibag in Raigad district, where about 1,000 tribals and others representing the Shoshit Jan Aandolan gathered, including a very large number of women. A delegation led by activists Ulka Mahajan, Surekha Dalvi and Mukta Srivastava met taluka-level officials and handed over a letter listing their demands. In Karjat, also in Raigad district, a protest was conducted by the Shoshit Jan Aandolan and the Jagrut Kashtkar Sanghatana.
At Dahanu in Palghar district, the Kashtakari Sanghatana and the Shetmajoor Shetkari Panchayat agitated outside the Palghar collector’s office in Dahanu. The All India Kisan Sabha organised a separate protest in Dahanu along with Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI).
Asking for the state government to defend the Forest Rights Act (FRA) while also condemning the proposed amendments to the IFA, the note to the Raigad Collector said several claims for rights under the FRA remain pending in the district, including at the Gram Panchayat level, while a large number of accepted claims have not been officially certified. Non-tribal forest dwellers’ claims have not been accepted at all, it said, while those whose claims are accepted are not heard afresh later even if they were granted rights over less land than due to them as per law. “The long-neglected justice for tribals and other traditional forest dwellers remains elusive,” the letter said, listing among its demands a complete rollback of proposed amendments to the IFA and a review of all rejected claims under the FRA.
The IFA amendments proposed by the Centre give greater policing powers to the forest department, including through the use of firearms and a veto power to the forest department to override the FRA, which includes applying ‘village forests’ to manage forest resources instead of the gram sabhas as envisioned by the FRA. Also, forest land may be opened for commercial exploitation wherever governments think fit.
In Dahanu, protesters submitted to officials a list of demands addressed to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. It said that under the FRA, rejected claims do not entail evictions and that the law merely certifies an existing right to land and resources that a community has been exercising. “The SC’s order on July 24 will directly impact over 3 lakh adivasis and forest dwellers,” the letter said. It also said the IFA amendments proposed in March this year will open up forest land for privatisation through its proposal to allow state governments to open patches of forest land for commercial exploitation.
On Tuesday, the CPI (M) and the All India Kisan Sabha will hold a rally at Kalwan in Nashik district, from where the historic long march of tribals had begun in 2017, to be addressed by CPI (M) politburo member Brinda Karat, AIKS national president Dr Ashok Dhawale and the CPI (M)’s seven-term sitting MLA of Kalwan, J P Gavit.
