Govt urged not to implement Forest Dwellers Act
Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Aug 3 – The Aranya Suraksha Samiti(ASS) in support with seven other nature conservation groups of the State have submitted a memorandum to the Union Minister of Environment and Forest, Jairam Ramesh, urging the latter not to implement the Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Right Act) until and unless the critical wild life area and fragile ecosystems are declared.
The memorandum, the copy of which was also sent to the Inspector General of Forest, India, State Minister of Environment and Principal Chief Conservator of Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Aug 3 – The Aranya Suraksha Samiti(ASS) in support with seven other nature conservation groups of the State have submitted a memorandum to the Union Minister of Environment and Forest, Jairam Ramesh, urging the latter not to implement the Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Right Act) until and unless the critical wild life area and fragile ecosystems are declared.
“Although the Act is a justice for the forest dweller tribes and other forest dwellers that have been living in the forest areas and are facilitating conservation of forest and nature, the law in the State has however encouraged the encroachers only,” the memorandum stated.
“The State has 499 forest villages and 2,03,413 people have been living in these areas. But the number of people who have claimed rights on forest land is so big that if the Government decides to reciprocate their demand, there would be no forest left,” stated Dr Hari Charan Das, secretary general of ASS.
4 August 2010 Last updated at 01:18 GMT
Their concern is that the practice could be damaging the more than 50 elephants kept in Hindu temples.The elephants are routinely forced to touch the heads of pilgrims with their trunks as a form of blessing.But officials say the practice could be putting the animals at risk of tuberculosis.
They say the constant exposure to as many as 500pilgrims a day may be putting the elephants at risk of contracting diseases, including tuberculosis.In recent years, four temple elephants have died after contracting tuberculosis………
For full report, right click on:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-10861832
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