Land rights in forests: Tripura wants norms relaxed
By IANSFriday, September 18, 2009
AGARTALA - The central government is considering amending the tribal forest rights act to reduce the period of 75 years for granting title deed to tribals and non-tribals residing in forests, according to a Tripura minister.
“The central Minister of State for Tribal Welfare Tusharbhai Chaudhary during his visit to the state earlier this week has assured to consider amending the act to reduce the 75 years cut-off period for granting patta (title deed) of the land on which the tribals and non-tribals had been residing for years,” state Forest Minister Jitendra Chowdhury told IANS.
The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (recognition of forest rights) Act, 2005, that came into force Dec 31, 2007, said: “Those tribals primarily residing in forests and who depend on forests and forest land for a livelihood and have been residing in the forest for 75 years are eligible to get the settlement in the forest land.”
Besides demanding reduction in stipulated period, the state government asked for settlement in the forest land for non-tribals as well.
“After the enactment of the tribals’ forest right act by the centre, the long cherished dreams of 100 million tribal people and traditional forest dwellers across the country have been fulfilled,” Tripura Tribal Welfare Minister Aghore Debbarma said.
“The Left Front government in Tripura wants to provide patta (title deed) to the non-tribals too. But the act allows only those non-tribal families who are residing in the forest for more than 75 years,” he added.
According to the minister, in Tripura, 129,249 tribal families and 32,937 non-tribal families have applied to the government for getting settlement in the forest through this patta system. Tripura government has so far distributed land deeds among 82,000 tribals, who account for about 33 percent of Tripura’s 3.5 million-population.
“Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh requested to amend the tribals’ forest rights act so that those non-tribals who had migrated to India before signing of the Indira-Mujib pact in March 1971 can be resettled in the forests,” Debbarma said.
