Written by Salonee Kulkarni
Written by Salonee Kulkarni
Six forest officials were suspended in Tiruvannamalai for allowing forest tribals to cultivate illegally on extended land atop Jawadhu Hills, assuring title deeds to the cultivators under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers Act, 2006, also known as the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006.
S.Prabhu, Forest Range Officer, Eco-tourism range; K. Senguttuvan, Forest Range Officer (Nandanoor); F. Arunagiri, Forester (Nadanoor range); K. Subramani, Forester (Nadanoor range); S. Muthu, Forest Guard, Jamunamarathoor range; and R. Suresh, Forest Ranger, Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust, on deputation, were the officials who were suspended.
For the past three years, the forest official permitted extended cultivation on a large tract of forest hill. Tribals extended their cultivation beyond the marked areas. This is called ‘accelerated cultivation.’
Under the pretext of a title deed, officers granted this permission, securing their names in the official forest records as ‘traditional cultivators.’ The false eligibility permitted extended cultivation in Melpattu, Jamunamarathor, and Nadanoor forest ranges in the hills. 150 tribal villages exist in the hills.
In exchange for extended cultivation, the forest officials received cash every month for a period of three years. Each cultivator was expected to pay between 3000 to 5000 per month, as per a preliminary inquiry by the District Forest Officer. The payment allowed cultivation beyond the restricted boundary and title deeds on Forest lands.
The investigation revealed that around 600-700 tribals were involved. While the Mayalali tribes in Jawadhu Hills are economically and socially developed groups, it might not necessarily mean that they have an understanding of the provisions of the Act and believe the forest staff.
Before the enactment of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, tribals who were cultivating on forest lands were allowed to continue the practice before December 31, 2005. After the enactment, they were eligible for land title deeds to cultivate. The person who was awarded the title was allowed to cultivate up to a maximum limit of 2.5 acres. This practice was passed down between generations within the communities; the act halted this practice.
Beneficiaries of the forest land were permitted to cultivate within the designated border. The transfer of land to children or mortgaging the land was prohibited. After the death of the beneficiary, the land would return to the forest department.
The FRA committee at all three levels- village, range and district level will assess the claims of the titles made by the traditional cultivators. The committee includes the District Collector, DFO and the elders representing the tribal community.
The cultivation beyond the permitted borders of the Jawadhu Hills began after the Act was passed. Hence, the tribals were disqualified. A hundred applications for title deeds from tribals have been rejected because they were traditional cultivators after the Act was passed. The staff who were suspended did not share these facts.
The cultivation beyond borders could have been easily prevented through regular patrolling in remote forest areas. The investigation probe revealed that false entries were made by suspended staff securing land title deeds to tribal forest cultivators before the Act was implemented.
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