Disempowering gram sabhas (FRA sabotage is bad for democracy)

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 Disempowering gram sabhas (FRA sabotage is bad for democracy)

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• The FCA, 1980 : The Forest Conservation Act (FCA) was used by the MoEF to divert 1.5 million hectares of forest land. "Divert" basically means destruction, as forests vanish from there. Corporations earn big, and via the compensatory afforestation funds even the forest departments get reimbursed. But many tribals lose homes and livelihoods.
• The 2019 story : The Supreme Court ordered the eviction of 18 lakh FRA claimants, to "stop the destruction of forests". It stayed the order soon  hereafter, till July 2019. These tribals filed their claims (to their forest lands) under the Forest Rights Act 2006, and were rejected. Can the S.C. look into real concerns of forest protection under the FCA also now?
• Gram Sabhas crucial under FRA 2006 : The Act gave the gram sabhas of the forest-dwellers "the responsibility and authority of sustainable use, biodiversity conservation and ecological balance maintenance". The FRA recognised the pre-existing rights of forest-dwellers and found them integral to saving the forests.
• 2009 regulation : A regulation gave Gram Sabhas the powers that all forest diversion proposals and compensatory schemes will be presented to them first. They can award, or withhold their consent. That created the landmark participation of forest communities (first time) in decision-making processes.
• Killing these laws : Now, sadly, it is not working out that way. An example -

1. The Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) wanted 1400 acres of forestland from 7 Adivasi villages in the sensitive Gandhamardhan mountains, for an iron ore mine.
2. The proposal sent by OMC to MoEFCC included 7 Gram Sabha resolutions, all copy-paste of each other!
3. Each resolution claimed that nearly 2000 villagers accepted that they were not using the forests for anything at all, had no claims at all, and they "requested" the government to implement the forest diversion.
4. Later, the villagers said all these were fake and forged!

• Nothing happened : Despite a media expose on the matter, and the MoEF asking for a probe, the final clearance was ultimately granted and land diverted in 2018.
• Rubber stamps : The adivasis and forest-dwellers are turned into mere rubber-stamps now. Now the MoEF has formalised this by telling States that "FRA compliance is not needed for an 'in-principle' approval of diversions". So FRA is violated, and gram sabhas are practically made useless.
• Protests : This has led to big protests by forest communities (as in CG's Hasdeo Arand in 2019).
• SC must examine : We are witnessing the landgrab on the back of usurpation of powers of the gram sabhas. It cannot be allowed.
• Summary : The FRA 2006 grants Gram Sabhas the powers to accept or reject forestland diversion, but recent incidents show large-scale violation of it with impunity.

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