Prepared by: Hitabhilash Mohanty, LLM in Human Rights
For the purpose of implementation of the FRA in the State, CFDRA conducted a study in the district of Kandhamal to find out the implementation status. The below mentioned cases have been identified during the course of field study by recording the statements of the affected tribal persons.
Table – 1: FRA Case Study – 1
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Block & Village | Srasananda |
| Population of village (No. of house holds) | 100 |
| Major Source of Occupation | Agriculture |
| Name of Community | Kandha (ST) |
| Facts of the case | Forest Dept. have given permission to the villagers to collect Minor forest products from the forest only for their daily uses, but they were not allowed to sell these products in market. |
| Source of Information | Villagers |
| Authorities contacted | |
| Current Status | Same |
Table – 2: FRA Case Study – 2
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Block & Village | Daringibadi&Basabadi |
| Population of village (No. of households) | 45 |
| Major Source of Occupation | Agriculture |
| Name of Community | Kandha (ST) |
| Facts of the case | Forest Dept. have given permission to the villagers to collect Minor forest products from the forest only for their daily uses, but they were not allowed to sell these products in market |
| Source of Information | Villagers |
Table – 3: FRA Case Study – 3
| Name | AtalaMallick |
| Address | Vill: Srasananda, PO/GP: Minia, Block: Phiringia, Dist: Kandhamal |
| Age | 63 |
| Sex | Male |
| Community | ST (Kandha) |
| Fact of the case | He had applied for forest land. He paid Rs. 75/- for the application form. But the procedure not completed by the Gram Sabha. Due to this he could not get his forest land. |
| Source of information | Affected person himself |
Table – 4: FRA Case Study – 4
| Name | SapteswarMallick |
| Address | Vill: Srasananda, PO/GP: Minia, Block: Phiringia, Dist: Kandhamal |
| Age | 58 |
| Sex | Male |
| Community | ST (Kandha) |
| Fact of the case | He had applied for forest land. He paid Rs. 75/- for the application form. But the procedure not completed by the Gram Sabha. Due to this he couldn’t get his forest land. |
| Source of information | Affected person himself |
Table – 5: FRA Case Study – 5
| Name | DasarathaMallick |
| Address | Vill: Srasananda, PO/GP: Minia, Block: Phiringia, Dist: Kandhamal |
| Age | 61 |
| Sex | Male |
| Community | ST (Kandha) |
| Fact of the case | He had applied for forest land. He paid Rs. 75/- for the application form. But the procedure not completed by the Gram Sabha. Due to this he couldn’t get his forest land. |
| Source of information | Affected person himself |
Table – 6: FRA Case Study – 6
| Name | GediliMallick |
| Address | Vill: Srasananda, PO/GP: Minia, Block: Phiringia, Dist: Kandhamal |
| Age | 59 |
| Sex | Male |
| Community | ST (Kandha) |
| Fact of the case | He had applied for forest land. He paid Rs. 75/- for the application form. But the procedure not completed by the Gram Sabha. Due to this he couldn’t get his forest land. |
| Source of information | Affected person himself |
OBSERVATIONS MADE
In the due course of fact finding, it was observed that there exists a dispute between the decision of Gram Sabha and the act of the forest department. It has been observed that the villagers are not allowed to carry the forest produce to sell outside. It was also observed that there is an immense lack of awareness regarding need for recognition of the forest rights of the forest dwellers. Further, they are not fully aware about the procedure. Hence, these forest dwellers are made victims of fraud and miscreants loot away money for providing claim application forms which are available for free in Block offices and in ITDAs.