HC seeks plan for basic facilities for forest dwellers

Time of India

10 hours ago

Dehradun: The Uttarakhand high court, while hearing a PIL based on a report by the State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) on the plight of forest dwellers deprived of basic amenities, on Tuesday directed the chief conservator of forests to prepare and submit a plan within a week.
The SLSA report highlighted that forest-dwelling communities neither had knowledge of their rights nor had the govt taken measures to improve their living conditions.
The report pointed to a systemic failure in implementing the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act in letter and spirit in the state. It also stated that Van Gujjars in particular lacked access to even basic healthcare and education.
SLSA observed that such inaction and persistent apathy by the state and its functionaries amounted to an infringement of the fundamental rights of these pastoral and semi-nomadic communities as guaranteed under the Constitution.
The report also accused the state of failing to recognise the individual and community forest rights of traditional dwellers, with their settlements often being labelled as encroachments. The PIL sought directions to the govt to invite and settle forest rights claims of dwellers across Uttarakhand in a time-bound manner.
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