Handle tribals’ tiff over land with tact

Then too, there were complaints that many tribals had been left out. Meanwhile, more tribals began occupying forest lands even as the forest staff resisted their attempts.

The murder of a forest range officer Ch Srinivasa Rao on Tuesday in Bhadradri Kothagudem district, Telangana, by Gutti Koya tribals is a chilling reminder of the need to take action on an issue.

The murder of a forest range officer Ch Srinivasa Rao on Tuesday in Bhadradri Kothagudem district, Telangana, by Gutti Koya tribals is a chilling reminder of the need to take action on an issue that brooks no delay. The forest department officials are justified in confronting ministers at Srinivasa Rao’s funeral and demanding the right to possess firearms and opening forest stations on the lines of police stations with vehicles—helpless as they are in a conflict between the state and the tribals. The issue has been festering for a long time and frequently. In 2019, a female range officer was beaten up by tribals to prevent her from planting saplings in lands occupied by them, and since then, clashes have been occurring on and off. But hacking a forest range officer to death took place for the first time in the state’s history.

The first step to end the tribals-forest staff confrontation was taken when the Centre brought in the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act (RoFR), under which December 13, 2005 was fixed as the deadline for recognising eligible tribals for granting rights on lands on which they were growing crops. Under the Act, the state government gave forest land rights to 96,600 farmers for 3.08 lakh acres in 2008. Then too, there were complaints that many tribals had been left out. Meanwhile, more tribals began occupying forest lands even as the forest staff resisted their attempts.

The matter is sensitive as the government has to protect forests and, at the same time, the interests of the tribals. The government has collected close to four lakh applications from tribals seeking rights for about 13 lakh acres of forest land. But can it confer land rights just like that? No. It has to coordinate with the Centre to amend the RoFR Act to extend the deadline. Needless to say, it is easier said than done. Under the circumstances, the onus is as much on the Centre as on the state. The priority ought to be the prevention of violence and further encroachments by holding village-level awareness programmes. Secondly, the government could explore ways to offer alternative livelihoods to willing tribals while maintaining the status quo. Tribals cannot be ousted from the lands as that would not only deprive them of their livelihood but also force them to join the ranks of the active Maoists in the region.