Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 6: IkkJutt Jammu president Ankur Sharma has warned the UT Administration of facing serious consequences if even an inch of Forest land is given in ownership to Tribals who do not fulfill the necessary eligibility criteria under the law.
While addressing a press conference, here today, Ankur Sharma said that almost all Tribals of J&K, especially Gujjars and Bakerwals are essentially nomads and neither settled nor in self cultivation of forest lands.
“They do not have any legitimate occupation of forest lands. Never in the history of the State/UT have they ever used forest lands for permanent habitations or for self cultivation and livelihood. All these conditions are basic requirement for getting ownerships of forest lands under the `Schedule Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006′ which are not fulfilled by the Tribals of J&K,” he claimed.
On the extension of Act to the UT of J&K, Ankur Sharma emphasised that Forest Rights Act can be made applicable to only those States/UTs which essentially have villages recorded as “Forest Villages”. “J&K comprises of only Revenue Villages and there are no recognised Forest Villages. Never in the history of the State any Patta or recognition was given with respect to forest lands and rightly so, given the peculiar nomadic nature of tribal life,’ he said, adding that the Tribals in J&K are granted seasonal temporary Grazing Rights and not Tilling Rights.
Lambasting the BJP and LG’s J&K Administration for pushing the implementation of Forest Rights Act as a top priority marketed in the name of Tribal Empowerment, Ankur Sharma said that the same is an act of treason against the people of Jammu who are fighting a war of survival against the State Sponsored genocidal assault on its religious demography.
He alleged that BJP was now taking Mehbooba’s agenda of 14th Feb Order to its logical conclusion. “FRA is a legislative manifestation of Mehbooba’s or BJP-PDP Govt’s 14th Feb Order granting legal immunity in favour of a particular community for occupying and encroaching State and forest lands,” he alleged.
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