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| Fake Gram Sabha's held under Forest Rights Act | | | Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Jan 15: Jammu & Kashmir RTI Movement has alleged that fake gram sabha's were held across many places in Jammu & Kashmir during last several days to constitute the Forest Rights Committees (FRC's) under the Forest Rights Act 2006 (FRA) which has been rolled out in J&K very recently. In a statement Chairman Jammu & Kashmir RTI Movement Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat said that due to cold weather conditions and snowfall not even 1 % people attended the Gram Sabha meetings across J&K to elect the village Forest Rights Committees (FRC's). It has been alleged that in many villages the villagers were not even informed and those people who are in actual possession of the forest land for more than 100 years haven't been made part of the FRC's. He had demanded that FRC's be reconstituted by holding fresh gram sabha's after weather improves and until then Govt must only take up awareness programmes across J&K
"Before holding Gram Sabha meetings the Govt was supposed to issue a gazette notification through J&K Tribal Affairs department wherein they will provide details of villages where people can claim the rights under FRA. People don't know whether the JK Tribal Affairs Department has been made the Nodal Department or not ? Most of the FRA workshops and training programmes were organized by the Forest Department at top which goes against the principles of this legislation. Government made some people in villages hold "closed door meetings" which have been labelled as Gram Sabha meetings. There has been resistance from people as well. In these meetings 10 to 15 member Forest Rights Committee (FRC) members have been elected. In the bone chilling cold with 4 to 5 feet snow on ground in most of the forest villages Gram Sabha were hardly held. Have these meetings been held in places like Tulail , Gurez or Machil which are totally cut off from the rest of J&K ? " Dr Raja Muzaffar questioned
Muzaffar alleged that in many places not even 5 people were present in the meeting which elected the 15 member FRC. |
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