K.C. Deo takes on forest babus
Minister for tribals affairs V. Kishore Chandra Deo believes the Forests Rights Act is being “pushed under the carpet” in an effort to sideline tribals from their just dues.
Taking the forest bureaucracy of the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) head on, Mr Deo asked, “What have the forest officials done to prevent the poaching mafia from killing animals? Where was the forest bureaucracy when tigers were decimated from the Sariska tiger sanctuary?”
Mr Deo was responding angrily to the alleged statement of the Director General Forests that the Indian Forest Act (IFA)1927 and Forests Rights Act were in conflict.
Hitting out at development projects of the UPA government, Mr Deo said, “If 10,000 acres are allocated for a mining project, it is called development, but when it comes to giving ten acres to tribals, it is called destruction.”
The tribal affairs ministry had recently refused to approve the MoEF’s decision to declare 800 to 1,200 square km of wildlife areas as inviolate in India’s tiger reserves. Mr Deo believes that inviolate areas for tigers will be followed by the environment ministry demanding inviolate spaces being created for elephant and tiger corridors. Mr Deo maintains relocation of villages from critical tiger reserves must take place on a purely voluntary basis.
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