Ranchi: The All India Adivasi Mahasabha has organised an 8-day padyatra in Garhwa district, demanding the full implementation of the 2006 Forest Rights Act. The padyatra, which will take place from February 28 to March 5, 2025, aims to address concerns about the Jharkhand government’s negligence towards Adivasis and the violation of their rights.
The Mahasabha claims that on August 9, 2024, the Garhwa district administration granted community forest rights certificates to 58 villages, but important provisions of the law were ignored. Specifically, Section 3(1), which covers community forest resource rights, was allegedly overlooked. Moreover, the Mahasabha accuses the government of reducing the rights granted by the village assemblies. The district-level Forest Rights Committee (QLC) is accused of unlawfully cutting back on rights.
In addition, the Mahasabha has made serious allegations against the Forest Department for illegally forming forest protection committees and violating the legal rights of village assemblies. The Mahasabha claims that village assemblies should have had full rights over the collection, processing, storage, and sale of forest products such as tendu leaves, bamboo, and mahua, but these rights were denied. Furthermore, the Mahasabha alleges that Gram Sabhas were not given the authority to issue transport permits for non-timber forest products.
The main demands of the padyatra include the cancellation of the reduction of forest rights and claims for the Gram Sabhas in Garhwa district, the swift resolution of pending forest rights claims, and the immediate cessation of the formation of illegal organizations like forest protection committees. The Mahasabha also calls for the implementation of schemes like CAMPA with the approval of the Gram Sabhas, and for action under the Atrocities Act to be taken against officials who violate the rights of the Gram Sabhas.
Additionally, the Mahasabha demands that Gram Sabhas be granted full rights to collect and transport bamboo and tendu leaves, similar to the model followed in Odisha, and for transparent compensation to be provided to villages affected by large projects, as is done in Chhattisgarh. They also demand the immediate cancellation of the construction of the Adivapur-Garhwa railway project and the cessation of false cases being filed against Adivasis.